Radio War Nerd EP #99 — Soviet-Afghan War
With Trump re-surging in Afghanistan, in America's longest war ever, the War Nerd and Ames look back at the Soviet experience in the 1980s and dispel some myths. The Soviet war in Afghanistan was not as devastating as has been popularly claimed, and it did not cause the USSR to collapse. And wars can go on for as long as leaders want them to and as long as the money press keeps pumping, unless there's organized political pushback.
* Soviet invasion map:
*Afghanistan ethnic map, 1985:
* Afghan Communist president Taraki (center) with Brezhnev (right) and Gromyko (left). Taraki's execution by hothead Khalq goon Hafizullah Amin convinced Brezhnev that a Soviet invasion was a smart idea.
*Hafizullah Amin
* Russian woman serving in Afghanistan
* Mujahideen anti-Communist propaganda
* Bill Casey's BFF
* "Afganskii Syndrome" (1988) written by Soviet Siberian punk group Instruktsiya po Vizhivaniu, performed by Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Total time: 2:38:13
Comments (23)
Going over old episodes again, and the brief mention of the US acceptance of Pakistan's bomb program has an important element not mentioned here. A big part of the reason why the US was ok turning a blind eye to a Pakistani bomb was to placate a man the War Nerd once described as "a short dude with a knack for one liners and a can-do attitude" named Deng Xiaoping. A lot of people forget just how desperate the US was to placate the PRC at the time. Pakistan's bomb, helping to prop up the Khemer Rouge rump in the Reagan years, Thatcher giving hong kong back no strings attached and so on. They wanted to bust unions at home and cheap Chinese labor was seen as the best way to do that, so placating China and its client states was as a top priority. A lot of the AK pattern rifles the CIA shipped to Afghanistan in this period were Chinese in origin too, and the MSS provided assistance to the CIA in moving arms into the country. I really hope you guys do an episode on the Chinese/Pakistani nuclear program and India's response to it.
Great comment, tying together China policy that's always set in Cold War rivalry context, with the ruling class's political economy plans. Any guest or book suggestions?
I bet the US will withdraw in August 2021. Where's my winnings? ;)
Lot of parallels between this and Ukraine in terms of American strategy :/
Do you have a source for the thumbnail image?
I
Mark says Secondhand Time got ignored when the English translation was published. Just looking at the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secondhand-Time-Soviets-Svetlana-Alexievich/dp/0399588809" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Amazon page</a> I see reviews from the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and many more. How many authors would kill to get ignored like this?
Called the hotline today to ask a couple of questions, but I stammered a bit so not sure if I was clear or not. Here's what I asked: 1) Mark and John have mentioned a few times how they use to be right-wing nationalists. What changed? And was adopting leftist values a gradual process or was it triggered by a specific event? 2) What impact, if any, has Marxism had on your political thinking? Does Marxism still provide a useful critique of 21st century capitalism for today's leftists or not? Congratulations on reaching 100 episodes! I'm proud to be part of the RWN community. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! We understood your questions perfectly and did our best to answer them. Kinda painful going back over our personal histories, but we tried.
Anyone got a link to Mark article mentioned at 2:27:20 ?
<a href="https://pando.com/2015/09/11/life-and-murder-anna-loginova/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://pando.com/2015/09/11/life-and-murder-anna-loginova/</a>
White Sun of the Desert is a really fun film, definitely worth watching. It's on youtube with english subtitles: <a href="https://youtu.be/GqnqFhc9aho." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/GqnqFhc9aho.</a> Classic siege western plot, but very tongue-in-cheek. It's still incredibly popular in Russia, last time I was in Moscow we hitched a ride from a guy with a van painted like a Manowar tour bus but with characters and scenes from the film.
I have said it before but I will say it again. The best 10 bucks I spend all month. Keep it up guys. As for ep 100, I am Australian and would be happy to hear something about the Boar war or the Malayan Emergency as it is called. But honestly, anything is fine with me :)
Great episode! I was struck by the peril that the War Nerd courts when he treads the dark byways of Dunedin. Should we should start a collection to buy him a reflective vest? Or would that just be "painting the target?" Thanks also for Mark's parting thoughts on the dissolution of the USSR and the potent mix of loss and cynicism among the survivors, which left me a little shaken. I can also recommend his NSFW.corp-era ebook The Life and Murder of Anna Loginova, which is available for an incredible price on Amazon.
I want a picture of the War Nerd riding a sled down one of those steep streets in Dunedin, though I'm not sure how snowy it gets in that part of the country this time of year. A picture of him riding a bike down one of those streets would be cool too.
Afganskii Syndrome rocks. Mark always comes through with good Russian music
did the feed link change?
Yep. Check the newsletter for the new feed. Too many pirates.
Any reading suggestions for someone who knows embarrassingly little about the cold war?
That's a surprisingly difficult question. I know it because I lived through it. Maybe to get a good feel for it the best book would be PKD's Time out of Joint.
99 Episodes! Here's to 101 more!
Thanks very much. What happens after the 101st? Don't tell me it's the leathern wings coming for me. I always knew it.
Great show. Listening from Napier, NI of New Zealand. Just like to point out there are a lot few four-legged sheep in NZ now...