- At the end of the Second World War, two distinct blocs clashed. The United States and the USSR enter the “Cold War”. This conflict will last throughout the second half of the XX e century, until the fall of the USSR.
- The intensity of this conflict is not uniform over time:strong tensions exist between 1947 and 1962, followed by a period of so-called "détente" in East-West relations between 1962 and 1977.
- Afghanistan has had good relations with the USSR since the 1950s. This relationship is partly because Pakistan, an enemy of the Afghans, is allied with the United States. In July 1973, the Afghan king was overthrown in a coup, and the newly proclaimed republic distanced itself from the USSR.
- In April 1978, a new putsch (coup) took place:the People's Democratic Party, aided by Moscow, took power. But very quickly, the new government will face significant religious opposition. A veritable civil war broke out, marked in particular by the assassination of the Prime Minister.
December 24, 1979
Characters
Jimmy Carter
Leonid Brezhnev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Procedure
On December 24, 1979, Russian troops entered Afghanistan. Using tanks and paratroopers, the Red Army enters Kabul to restore order. The Afghan communist Babrak Karmal is placed in power.
But the mujahideen, members of Islamist groups and enemies of the power in place and of the USSR, continue to fight under the mode of guerrilla warfare (actions of harassment by troops lightly armed), especially in the city. The Soviets encounter difficulties:the climate is difficult, the country difficult to travel because of the reliefs, and the Red Army is little trained against this new model of war. The Soviet occupation will therefore last, despite the rapid position of the UN, which condemns the Russian intervention. International intervention will however be present:the United States provides financial support to the Taliban, through Saudi Arabia.
Consequences
- The USSR deploys about 200,000 troops in Afghanistan. The conflict lasted until 1988. On April 14, 1988, an agreement was signed between the USSR, the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan, in Geneva:Gorbachev, deploring heavy losses, withdrew the Russian troops the same -year.
- The invasion of Afghanistan will profoundly upset East-West relations and mark the end of the period of détente. The objective of this intervention remains unclear:it would seem that Moscow wanted to protect itself from the expansion of Islamism. The end of détente was marked by the embargo of the United States on the USSR, or even the boycott of the Olympic Games organized in Moscow planned in 1980 by many Western nations.
- Despite the departure of Soviet troops, the civil war continued, and Afghanistan did not have its first free elections until 2004.