In fairness to both USA and USSR, the price of oil is what has fueled modern jihad. The USA and USSR made the mistake of fighting each other, with the USA funding Osama bin Laden and co, with the end result of the Twin Towers destruction.
For 200 years, Arabia and Islamic jihad were going nowhere as they were impoverished compared with the mighty Europeans with their industrial revolution, science and capitalism. Big oil cash has changed that. Money talks, and buys weapons galore.
The USA also made the mistake of bullying the UK such as in the Suez crisis [Google has details].
Gorby was boss from 1985 rather than 1988 and it took years for the USA to stop foaming at the mouth at USSR although he was obviously totally different from Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko [a couple of caretakers]. It's true that when USSR took over Afghanistan it was a bit of a shock. A friend and I got maps out to see just how far it was to the Indian ocean which would have given USSR a substantial geopolitical enhancement. At the time, USSR was still in the mode of suppression of Hungary, Prague Spring, and loomed large with proxy wars and general MAD threat.
So yes, initially Gorby was nothing to do with the Afghanistan conflict, but after he took over, it was time to think again. When Gorby took over, it was time to start being friendly to USSR.
Regarding the Northern Alliance, it always seemed to me that General Dostum was very like Saddam Hussein. It seemed odd that he was being backed while Saddam was being overthrown. Shades of "The Arabian Nights".
Mqurice |
