The story of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan is well known: the expansionist Communists overwhelmed a poor country as a means of reaching a warm-water port on the Persian Gulf. Afghan mujahideen upset their plans; holding on with little more than natural fighting skills; until CIA agents came to the rescue with American arms. Humiliated in battle; the Soviets hastily retreated. It is a great story-but it never happened. In this brilliant; myth-busting account; Rodric Braithwaite; the former British ambassador to Moscow; challenges much of what we know about the Soviets in Afghanistan. He provides an inside look at this little-understood episode; using first-hand accounts and piercing analysis to show the war as it was fought and experienced by the Russians. The invasion was a defensive response to a chaotic situation in the Soviets' immediate neighbor. They intended to establish a stable; friendly government; secure the major towns; and train the police and armed forces before making a rapid exit. But the mission escalated; as did casualties. Braithwaite does not paint the occupation as a Russian triumph. To the contrary; he illustrates the searing effect of the brutal conflict on soldiers; their families; and the broader public; as returning veterans struggled to regain their footing back home. Now available in paperback; Braithwaite carries readers through these complex and momentous events; capturing those violent and tragic days as no one has done before.
#4561979 in Books 2017-04-09Original language:English 6.30 x .90 x 9.30l; .0 #File Name: 0198787456304 pages
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