Crossref JGate SDG Google Scholar Open Access Creative Commons WorldCat OCLC DORA Scilit Semantic Scholar SDG
From Invasion to Insurgency: Assessing the Legacy of Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan
ARTICLE PDF FILE

Keywords

Soviet intervention
Afghanistan Crisis
Invasion
Insurgency
Cold War

Categories

How to Cite

Joshi, N., & Upadhyay, G. (2025). From Invasion to Insurgency: Assessing the Legacy of Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan. South India Journal of Social Sciences, 23(4), 134-137. https://doi.org/10.62656/SIJSS.v23i4.2106

Abstract

Due to the unsuccessful invasions by numerous foreign nations, Afghanistan is referred to as the "graveyard of empires." Afghanistan's numerous ethnic and tribal disputes make it a place of insurgency as well. The significant effects of the Soviet operation in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989 are examined in this research article. The research paper examines the complex impacts of the intervention on Afghan society, economy, politics, and geopolitics thorough examination of historical occurrences, academic viewpoints, and empirical data. This study attempts to give a thorough grasp of how the intervention changed Afghanistan's course and affected regional and international dynamics by looking at both the short-term and long-term effects. Examining the significant and wide-ranging consequences of the Soviet incursion in Afghanistan is the aim of this research work. We shall examine the strategic goals and ideological underpinnings of the USSR's 1979 invasion choice. The terrible human cost of the conflict will thereafter be the focus of our analysis. We'll look at the effects on Afghan society, such as the massive death toll, the millions of people who have been displaced, and the infrastructure damage.

ARTICLE PDF FILE

References

1. Andrew, C., & Mitrokhin, V. (2005). The world was going our way: The KGB and the battle for the Third World. Basic Books.

2. Barfield, T. (2010). Afghanistan: A cultural and political history. Princeton University Press.

3. Coll, S. (2004). Ghost wars: The secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden. Penguin Books.

4. Dimitrakis, P. (2012). The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: International reactions, military intelligence and British diplomacy. Middle Eastern Studies, 48(4), 591–610. https://doi.org/10.1080/00263206.2012.682304

5. Dupree, L. (1980). Afghanistan. Princeton University Press.

6. Edwards, D. B. (2002). Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad. University of California Press. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft3p30056w/

7. Fenzel, M. (2013). No retreat: The failure of Soviet decision-making in the Afghan War, 1979–1989 (Doctoral dissertation). Naval Postgraduate School.

8. Gerges, F. A. (2005). The far enemy: Why jihad went global. Cambridge University Press.

9. Gibbs, D. N. (2006). Reassessing Soviet motives for invading Afghanistan: A declassified history. Critical Asian Studies, 38(2), 239–263.

10. Grau, L. W., & Gress, M. A. (2002). The Soviet-Afghan War: How a superpower fought and lost. University Press of Kansas.

11. Haqqani, H. (2005). Pakistan: Between mosque and military. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/2005/08/17/pakistan-between-mosque-and-military-pub-17315

12. Jenne, E., & Popovic, M. (2013). Role theory and great power intervention in Afghanistan from the Cold War to present. Columbia University.

13. Khasanov, U., & Nurmetova, M. (2024). Growing potential of Central Asian trade logistics. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376894724

14. Maley, W. (2002). The Afghanistan wars. Palgrave Macmillan.

15. Mohib, A. (2024). Nation building in Afghanistan: A failed nation and a collapsed country. Bard College.

16. Nojumi, N. (1996). War and public health: The human cost of Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Health and Human Rights, 2(2), 30–47.

17. Rashid, A. (2001). Taliban: Militant Islam, oil and fundamentalism in Central Asia. Yale University Press.

18. Rubin, B. R. (2002). The fragmentation of Afghanistan: State formation and collapse in the international system (2nd ed.). Yale University Press.

19. Saikal, A. (2004). Modern Afghanistan: A history of struggle and survival. I.B. Tauris.

20. Yousaf, M., & Adkin, M. (1992). The bear trap: Afghanistan's untold story. Casemate.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2025 South India Journal of Social Sciences

Disclaimer: This site displays third-party advertisements provided through Google AdSense. We do not control the content of these ads and do not endorse any products or services advertised. Ad revenue helps minimize APCs and supports the ongoing maintenance, development, and open accessibility of this academic journal.