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4851400000Cold War Overview & Afghanistan DocumentaryLet’s talk Cold War (1945-1991)! We’ll look at a general overview and then zoom in on a lesser-known story about U.S. involvement in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion (1979-‘89) and how it still effects our lives, and the lives of people all across the Middle East, today. 487108534163000When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and instilled a communist government, American leaders, fresh from their embarrassment in Vietnam, sought to strike back, using Afghanistan as a proxy. For 10 years, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) supplied the anti-communist forces in Afghanistan, which included Osama bin Laden. In trying to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan, the United States contributed, either directly or indirectly, to the creation of future enemies: bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. How direct or indirect that contribution was is debated by experts today. 503110553848000Some claim the U.S. directly recruited, trained, and weaponized (armed) Osama bin Laden and his followers. All facts on the ground point to intentional radicalization for a regional and violent “holy war,” because it suited U.S. interests at the time (contain communism at all costs!). But fast forward a decade later, and those weapons would be pointing at the U.S. What went wrong?! What are the connections between containment of communism in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the rise of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the ‘80s and ‘90s, 9/11 (in 2001), and the war in Afghanistan (2001-the present)? What are the consequences of U.S. interventions abroad? To what extent do those countries benefit? To what extent do Americans benefit? How did Afghanistan go from a country with relative peace to a hotbed of radical terrorists armed with the training and weaponry necessary to commit atrocities such as 9/11?! What lessons should be learned from the Afghanistan example?Prior to our Chat: 1) Read the general overview of the Cold War that follows. Have some questions or comments on the material ready for our discussion. 2) Get started on the History Channel documentary, “Heroes Under Fire: Shadow Warriors,” about CIA operations in Afghanistan during the Cold War. Have some questions or comments on the material ready for our discussion. After the chat: TBD General Overview of Cold War (1945-1991)What was the Cold War? A near 50-year long period of tension and hostility that developed between the U.S. and the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) after WWII (1939-’45); the common concerns that had united the former allies (namely the fight against Nazi Germany) disappeared, leaving two radically different political, social, economic, and ideological systemsCalled a cold war because there was never direct military confrontation between the two countries; instead, the conflict fluctuated between periods of indirect military confrontations (ex: U.S. troops fighting with South Korea against North Korea, who was aided by the Soviets—but Soviet troops were not fighting directly with the North Koreans) and periods of mutual coexistence (détente)The superpowers used spying, propaganda, secret operations, and proxy wars (when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly) in their dealings with one anotherMany countries around the world were pressured into aligning with one side or the other; most of these countries resented attempts to be used as pawns and their countries often suffered as a result of interventions; some decided not to align, and they suffered as wellU.S. had many concerns about the USSR:Concerned about USSR’s satellite nations in Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, etc.), which it had gained control over while it drove Nazi forces west Concerned that war-torn Europe would be easy prey for communism; desperation, poverty, chaos, uncertainty makes communism and the idea of an equal, utopian society very appealingConcerned about the communist desire to spark worldwide revolution (particularly in the post-WWII context where so many nations were war-torn)USSR was very concerned with U.S. strength, leadership, weaponry, and hostility towards the USSR’s political ideology Why did it begin in the aftermath of WWII (1945)?Despite working together during WWII to defeat Nazi Germany, the U.S. and USSR were at oddsEach country had differing postwar goals; some of these differences were rooted in different experiences during WWIIThe U.S. suffered 400,000 deaths but the country was intact; the USSR had at least 50 times as many fatalities (1 in 4 Soviets was wounded or killed) and many Soviet cities were destroyedU.S. Postwar AimsUSSR Postwar AimsAs the most powerful nation in the world, the U.S. looked to play an active role in international affairs through the United Nations (a total departure from earlier foreign policy and rejection of the League of Nations)Encourage spread of democracy to prevent rise of communismGain access to markets to continue WWII-era growthRebuild Germany to use as powerful counterforce against USSR Limit communist countries in the UNStabilize and rebuild postwar economies around the world (to lessen communism’s appeal)Keep Germany divided (had been divided into 4 Allied occupation zones) to prevent it from waging war again (Russia had been invaded by Germany in both world wars and had lost millions to German aggression)Encourage spread of communism around the worldControl Eastern Europe to protect Soviet borders and balance U.S. influence in Western EuropeRebuild war-ravaged economy of Russia using Eastern Europe’s industrial equipment and raw materials What strategy did the U.S. adopt to fight the Soviets?The U.S. adopted a foreign policy called containment: a strategy to block Soviet influence and prevent the spread of communism; the idea was to contain communism and let it destroy itself from withinTo help in this endeavor, the U.S. would form alliances (collective security) and help weak countries resist Soviet advances or the advancement of any communist group (through financial or military aid)Containment was an incredibly costly policy; the dramatic increase in government spending to promote U.S. interests and contain communism was possible due to rising general prosperity and an expanding white middle class in America, which was partly subsidized by the government itself through generous student loans, business loans, public works programs, and mortgage loans, all flowing to primarily white AmericansThere were times when containment worked successfully: Korean War (1950-’53): halted North Korea’s attempt to unite the Korean peninsula under communism; cost approximately 39,000 U.S. lives and the animosity of North Korea which continues to this dayBerlin Airlift (1948-‘49): U.S. (and Britain) flew food and supplies into West Berlin for about a year after the Soviet Union began “holding West Berlin hostage” in an effort to force the Allies out of Berlin and allow communism to spread to all of the capital; eventually the Soviets gave up and lifted the blockade of West Berlin Afghanistan (1979-‘89): After the Soviets invaded Afghanistan to prop up a communist government, the U.S. (under Carter and Reagan and executed by the CIA) supported the anti-communist “mujahideen” (freedom fighters), and encouraged the use of terrorism to accomplish containment; eventually the Soviets gave up and exited AfghanistanMany of the anti-communist Afghanis ended up becoming the Taliban, who controlled the government of Afghanistan from 1996-2001, and others, part of bin Laden’s Al Qaeda. The Taliban allowed Al Qaeda to set up shop in Afghanistan in the years leading to 9/11, which is why the U.S. invaded that country immediately after the attacks. Since being removed from power in 2001 by the invasion of the U.S. and its allies in the aftermath of 9/11, they’ve been attempting to come back to power. Again, bin Laden, the former leader of Al Qaeda, is alleged to have been recruited and financed during this time by the CIA, in an effort to keep communism out of Afghanistan, but this is contested by some experts. There were times when containment did not work:China (1949): China fell to communism despite U.S. aid to the anti-communists (nationalists) Vietnam War (1950s-‘74): U.S. aided the unpopular and dictatorial, but anti-communist, South Vietnamese government against the North Vietnamese communists; eventually the U.S. had to admit defeat and left the region, which was quickly toppled by the communists in 1975; the U.S. suffered approximately 58,000 casualties and much of Vietnam was destroyedAt times, containment policy led to the assassination or ousting of power of Latin American and African leaders the U.S. perceived as too left-leaning (examples: Guatemalan president Jacobo ?rbenz Guzmán was ousted in 1954 and Congolese president Patrice Lumumba was assassinated in 1960) (Americans have long intervened in other countries’ elections)In an effort to contain and combat communism, the U.S. government forged many alliances with right-wing dictators who rejected communism but often acted similarly to Soviet leaders, like Stalin (were totalitarian)Historians are often critical of these alliances today, pointing out that very little, if any, short-term benefits came of the alliances, and the world is still dealing with some of the long-term consequences; two helpful examples are belowright8382000U.S. support for Islamist “holy war” in the Middle East (1979-’89) U.S. supported anti-communist Afghanis and encouraged the use of terrorism when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan to prop-up a communist government; eventually the Soviets gave up and exited Afghanistan4580890127498200Many of the anti-communist Afghans ended up becoming the Taliban, who controlled the government of Afghanistan up until 2001. The Taliban allowed Al Qaeda to set up shop in Afghanistan in the years leading to 9/11, which is why the U.S. invaded that country immediately after the attacks. Since being removed from power in 2001 by the invasion of the U.S. and its allies in the aftermath of 9/11, they’ve been attempting to come back to power. Bin Laden, the former leader of Al Qaeda, was also recruited and financed during this time by the CIA in an effort to keep communism out of Afghanistan. U.S. support for Mobutu Sese Seko in the Congo (1960-90s) With Belgium, the U.S. organized the assassination of the first democratically elected and hugely popular Congolese leader (Patrice Lumumba) in 1960 for his alleged support of communism Installed and supported Mobutu (he went by his first name), an authoritarian, repressive dictator, because he took an anti-Communist stanceMobutu was a mass murderer and stole billions of dollars from the state while his people became impoverished Led to a series of civil and external wars that continue today: millions have died as a result How did the Cold War End?Soviet Union broke up into 15 separate countries in 1991; hailed by the West as a victory for freedom/capitalismThe project of creating a unified, centralized communist state proved problematic for the USSR for several reasons:Underestimated degree to which non-Russians would resist Soviet advances and attempted assimilation Economic planning failed to meet needs; instead, money/resources were funneled into a vicious arms race, leading to gradual economic decline which necessitated reformCommunism lost its appeal to satellite nations, who associated the term more with totalitarianism and repression than Marxism, which was supposed to usher in a utopian societyScholars contend that the fall of the USSR was directly precipitated by the Soviet leader Gorbachev’s 1980 policies of glasnost (freedom of speech) and perestroika (economic reform introducing more freedom)He unwittingly unleashed emotions and political feelings that had been pent up for decadesWhen economy did not improve, newly allotted freedom of speech was used to criticize Gorbachev for his economic failuresPeriphery states started to demand autonomy; eventually Russians did tooWhile historians today maintain that consistent implementation of containment by the Cold War presidents (Truman to Bush Sr.) helped to bring about an end to the Cold War, they argue that the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 was at least as much a result of internal affairs of the USSR, rather than just U.S. foreign policy, which had been argued in previous decadesCosts of war: Incalculable. Try and add up all of the loss of human life via the proxy wars, destruction of cities and villages, cost of Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, loss of civil liberties due to Red Scare, etc.History Channel documentary: Heroes under Fire: Shadow Warriors (a reference to CIA operatives), 2006See teacher site for video file.Learn about the last “battle” of the Cold War and contemplate how Soviet and US actions in Afghanistan contributed to destabilization and terrorism that we are still wrestling with today. UN reporting as of June 8, 2020, courtesy of Brookings Institute: ................
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