Consequences of the Soviet-Afghan War

Consequences of the Soviet-Afghan War on various nations
USSR (and the US):
It is our opinion that the USSR doomed itself by invading Afghanistan. The Afghan War was a big loss for the USSR, though this was by no means a victory that was achieved through American efforts.

Having no legitimate moral basis for its invasion, we believe this was what made it harder for Moscow to find support from other governments, including its allies. The Soviet Union lost many Arab allies, who had previously been on the USSR’s side when the Soviet Union helped them fight Israel in the past, as the Muslim world saw the war as a war on Islam. The USSR was lambasted by governments from all over the world, and even by some of its own citizens. We infer from this that the USSR regime had lost its influence over its “unequal” allies and credibility through this war. The US deftly exploited the USSR’s strategic error and funded the mujahideen to trap the USSR in a disastrous war in Afghanistan, even mustering support from Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia.

Soviet coffers had been severely bled over the Cold War as the USSR distributed funds to its allies and satellite states and built up its arsenals. The USSR spent billions of roubles on the war (official and unofficial estimates vary, but most figures given were in the tens of billions of Soviet roubles) only to purchase a defeat, and this further impoverished the USSR. The already imbalanced and ill Soviet command economy (up to 27% of GDP was occupied with making war goods, while consumer products were sidelined) was pushed to the brink by being overexerted to supply war materiel for the invasion. We believe this economic breakdown caused by the war was one factor for the dissolution of the Soviet bloc.

The USSR also had around fifty thousand casualties, a point that would embitter many Soviets against the Moscow regime.

The war wrecked US-USSR relations. After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, US President Jimmy Carter imposed an embargo prohibiting trade and shipments to the USSR. It also made those who were pro-democracy (especially US politicians) worry as the USSR controlled many oil-rich regions and was able to reap huge benefits and grow in power. All these caused tension between the Soviet and American blocs and led to the end of détente, which began during the Khrushchev era.

Finally, the Afghan war resulted in the formation of many extreme Islamic groups like the Taliban. Because of the war, the region had become a safe house for terrorists, which still threaten global security today.

(a USSR propaganda poster during the era)
Afghanistan
Afghanistan was plunged into chaos during the invasion. Around 1 million Afghans died in the war, and 6 million Afghans fled their homeland, contributing to half of the world’s refugees at that time. Some regions experienced heavy fighting, whereas some areas were completely cut off from Kabul and existed independently. During that period, grain production and trade fell drastically, and Afghanistan’s economy was on the verge of collapse.

(a Afghan refugee after the war)
Following the war the US and USSR ditched Afghanistan. The Kabul administration was left to fight the mujahideen alone until the Kabul government collapsed in 1996. The unrest during the civil war also led to the formation of extreme religious militant organizations like the Taliban. The Taliban imposed Islamic rule over Afghanistan, until shortly after 9/11, when Bush once again drew the US into what it called formerly “the Soviets’ Vietnam” in its war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Also, the Soviet Red Army planted landmines in Afghanistan during the war and left them in Afghan territory after the war. Thus over the next few decades, even till now, thousands of civilians, including many children have been killed or injured by these landmines.

Effects of the Afghan War on the Cold War balance
As discussed earlier, the USSR overspent its resources and wealth, overworked its economy to the brink of destruction, ruined Soviet standing in the world and caused Soviets to go against the government. So the USSR’s position was greatly weakened as a result of this war.

The US, however, had mostly recovered from its Vietnam War economic injuries, and was able to cause further trouble to the Soviet Union, launching political attacks on the USSR in various arenas, including UN conferences and through the media. The US had not achieved a victory unilaterally, however. The American position became relatively superior to the Soviet position as a result of this war. Shortly after a total Soviet exit from the Afghan War, the Soviet Union collapsed; even many American politicians and experts had not foreseen this. The Afghan War definitely exacerbated some causes and contributed to the demise of the USSR.

Therefore, the Afghan War tilted the Cold War balance in favour of the US, mainly because the Soviets had weakened their own position by starting the war, and set the stage for an American victory in the Cold War after the Soviet Union had crashed out of the Cold War theatre in an inferior position to the US; in a sense, the war slowed down the USSR in its “race to the finish line” of the Cold War, and allowed the US to finish the “Cold War race” and become the sole survivor – and winner - after the USSR had already “collapsed” midway.