Abstract
Westerners-when they give attentian to the bitter
struggle raging in Afghanistan-commonly characterize it
as "Russia's Vietnam."ı The characterization carries with
it same misleading intellectual baggage, stuff damaged in
transit during America's defeat in Vietnam: the thesis that
the use of military force in the Third World by a superpower inevitably runs counter to its own interests. Currently
the apparent stalemate between Soviet forces and the mujahedeen offers the most convincing proof for this thesis;
however, soothsayers run high risks of error by basing
their predictions of Soviet failure on American defeat,2
The key to understanding the fallacy of thinking that
Afghanistan is Russia's Vietnam lies in understanding the
traditional political cultures of Vietnam and Afghanistan.
The parallels and contrasts that exist between the two invasions both strongly suggest that military force can be
successfully used in conjunction with a correct understanding of the local political culture. T
Keywords
Abstract
Westerners-when they give attentian to the bitter
struggle raging in Afghanistan-commonly characterize it
as "Russia's Vietnam."ı The characterization carries with
it same misleading intellectual baggage, stuff damaged in
transit during America's defeat in Vietnam: the thesis that
the use of military force in the Third World by a superpower inevitably runs counter to its own interests. Currently
the apparent stalemate between Soviet forces and the mujahedeen offers the most convincing proof for this thesis;
however, soothsayers run high risks of error by basing
their predictions of Soviet failure on American defeat,2
The key to understanding the fallacy of thinking that
Afghanistan is Russia's Vietnam lies in understanding the
traditional political cultures of Vietnam and Afghanistan.
The parallels and contrasts that exist between the two invasions both strongly suggest that military force can be
successfully used in conjunction with a correct understanding of the local political culture. T
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Political Science |
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | May 1, 1980 |
| Published in Issue | Year 1980 Issue: 20 |