The elements of a conflict of the Soviet-Afghan war Research Paper

The elements of a conflict of the Soviet-Afghan war - Research Paper Example All types of conflicts, be they political, economical, social or ethical, have stemmed because of the occurrence of the war itself. It would be imperative, therefore, to study the causes of the war so that the basis of the conflicts can be analyzed. The Soviet occupation of the Afghan territory had a myriad of reason, including political as well as economic factors. It started with the Soviet interest in the natural mineral deposits of Afghanistan, including the huge stores of natural gas that were discovered not long before the occupation (Assifi, 1982/83). There were also hopes of finding other minerals like coal, iron, and oil (Assifi, 1982/83). Afghanistan, although a land-locked country, holds a key position geopolitically due to its placement on the map (Assifi, 1982/83). The Soviets could make their way to the Indian Ocean, and into the neighboring territories, such as Pakistan, which many believe to be next on the Soviet’s war list (National Review, 1987). To make matt ers easier, the Soviets had, two years prior to the official occupation, installed a pro-communist regime in the Afghan government (Assifi, 1982/83). The major players of the war were of course the USSR and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Assifi, 1982/83). USSR, a communist force rising in the world against the capitalist Western giants like the United States posed a serious threat to the Western world (National Review, 1987). ... ly made their way into their homeland owing to the cooperation of the pro-communist regime installed in the country a couple of years back (Assifi, 1982/83). The population itself was divided into different sects and groups, which made the freedom fight slightly ineffective (Lamothe, 2004). The major parties that influenced the war were the Jamiat-i-Islami, Hizb-i-Islami, Mujahideen, and the Taliban (Lamothe, 2004). Individuals such as Ahmad Shah Massoud (Lamothe, 2004) also played pivotal role in the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion. Apart from the key players of the war, several countries took part in the resistance against the invasion although not directly becoming a part of the war. Such states are said to play a supportive role in the conflict. Pakistan was one of major supporters of the freedom fighters (Chapman, 1982). It couldn’t help getting involved in the war, though, given its geographical closeness to the Afghan territory. Also, it was believed that it was the next target of the Soviets (National Review, 1987), who had apparently greater aims than just occupying Afghanistan. Therefore, Pakistan fought the invasion politically and with manpower. It provided a constant supply of trained soldiers, called Mujahideen, to the Afghan freedom fighters, most of whom were Pashtun and of Afghan nationality (Lamothe, 2004). These soldiers were trained in military and religious camps all along the border of the two countries, and a huge fraction of these camps were funded by the United States government (Chapman, 1982). Pakistan, suddenly, was very prominent on the world map due to its geopolitical role in the conflict (Assifi, 1982/83). It also provided health care facilities to the wounded soldiers, both on the battlefield and on its own land among