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POL420

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Apr 3, 2024

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After the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 the United States soon found itself in one of their longest ongoing conflicts. The battle to wrestle the nation of Afghanistan from Taliban control was lengthy and hard. However, it's not the first time the U.S. put troops in Afghanistan. Operation Cyclone, which was conducted in the late 70's into the 80's was aimed at minimizing Soviet Influence in Afghanistan. However, it also had lasting effects,some of which played out in 2001, during Operation Enduring Freedom. A question that can be easily asked is why did the U.S. involve themselves in Afghanistan, especially considering the potential repercussions? Also important to consider is the fact that Operation Cyclone begins under the Carter Administration, but continues into the Reagan Administration, with the final withdrawal of troops happening in the first month of George H.W. Bush's term. The Operation, which spanned a decade, had a role in the final collapse of the Soviet Union, but didn't end U.S. involvement in the region. Although Operation Cyclone and the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan successfully deterred Soviet Influence, many problems arise over the shortsightedness of U.S. foreign policy, the relationships the U.S. develops, and the future implications for the U.S. Invasion in 2001 as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom. First, the U.S. was short sighted in its efforts to end Soviet influence in Afghanistan. As Soviet Influence grew, there were growing fears on both the U.S. and the Soviet side, especially as the Nixon Administration fell apart, with dreams of detente with it. As detente came to its end so did both nations willingness to allow the other to conduct operations without any opposition. This situation plays out in Afghanistan where the Soviet Union was in county to help prop up the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.¹ Important to note is that initially under the Carter Administration the plan was not for any form of military intervention or support, but rather for an understanding of the conflict, however eventually the decision is that the best way to counter the Soviet invasion is to aid the Mujahideen. 1 Then under Regan the operation was expanded due to National Security Decision Directive Number 75 which was aimed at ensuring a reversing Soviet expansion on a global scale. 2 In Operation Cyclone, the U.S. increasingly saw an opportunity to defeat the Soviet Union. In order to achieve this, the U.S. was willing to utilize any means unnecessary, which included a loose assortment of freedom fighters, known as the Mujahideen. The support of the mujahideen was not for their sake, but rather for the sake of defeating Soviet forces.The U.S. also saw the conflict in Afghanistan as merely to force the Soviet Union to outlast the U.S., a tactic that would help contribute to the ultimate fall of the Soviet Union. 3 The U.S. believed this was inevitable because of the Soviet Union underestimating Afghan troops, and a Soviet belief that continuing to up troop numbers in Afghanistan would overwhelm these Afghan troops. 4 After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the U.S. dramatically reduces funding towards Afghanistan which leaves a power vacuum, one that contributes to the later Operation Enduring Freedom. The problem is that the U.S. saw the defeat of the Soviets as the only object to be had, and as a result, a growing instability in the region causes the U.S. to decide to launch another invasion into Afghanistan in the 21st Century. One that may have in part been avoided had the U.S. continued to assist in the 1 Ibid., 28-29 2 Ibid., 30. 3 Director of Central Intelligence,”Afghanistan: The War in Perspective” SNIE 37-89 CIA (1989). Partially declassified and released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the National Security Archive. 4 Director of Intelligence, “The Soviet Invasion: Five Years After,” CIA (1985). Partially declassified and released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the National Security Archive.
region before withdrawing, rather than allowing for further destabilization left by the withdrawal of the U.S. troops. Next, problems arise in the U.S. develops. In Operation Cyclone, the U.S. relationship with the Mujahideen is well-documented. However, the U.S. in order to aid the Mujahideen, also begins to lean on Pakistan and the Inter-Services Intelligence. The connection with the ISI begins because the CIA believed the ISI to be a better go between than to directly interact with the Mujahideen forces. 5 The major problem is that the CIA and ISI have vastly different interests, but the U.S. still continues to give the ISI funding, which is then passed onto the most extreme mujahideen forces. 6 The U.S. even went far enough to overlook concerning behaviors from Pakistan, such as the nations aims to develop a nuclear weapon. While initially the U.S. sought Pakistan’s signature on a non-proliferation agreement, one they were willing to sanction Pakistan over, they eventually abandoned these sanctions in order to continue to receive Pakistani support in Afghanistan. 7 The U.S. also saw the relationship as more than simply a go between to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. There also was the important goal of ensuring that Pakistan could maintain their own sovereignty and remain free from both soviet control and influence. President Carter even goes far enough to suggest the the U.S. would be “Providing military equipment, food, and other assistance to help Pakistan defend its independence and its national security against the seriously increased threat from the North.” 8 Essentially the U.S. knew there was a likely chance of problems regarding the alliance with Pakistan, but saw that alliance as a better alternative to Soviet expansion. This was consistent with U.S. foreign policy at the time, as the U.S. would often back foreign governments opposing the Soviet Union or other Communist governments. The U.S. knew that Pakistan was not a strong ally, but decided to accept the problems that came with their alliance in order to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan. Finally, Operation Cyclone has a lot of future implications for the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan in 2001. First, as discussed earlier, the U.S. decides to cut much of the funding that went into funding the Mujahideen in the first place. Due to achieving the objective of drawing the Soviet’s out, there is an almost perceived belief that Afghanistan has been rid of any Anti- U.S. forces. 9 Instead, the ensuing power vacuum allows for a growth in Anti-U.S. sentiment, especially among the Mujahideen forces that are funded by the ISI. 10 The ISI also utilizes this very relationship developed with the CIA to its advantage during the 2001 invasion, because the U.S. is forced to rely on the ISI once again, but this time the ISI send much of this funding to the Taliban, some of which are descended from the exact same groups the ISI funded in the 80’s. Essentially, the U.S. is serving to defeat itself, by continuing a relationship with the ISI, but also by continuing to build this relationship through monetary funding. However, there are more reasons that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan affected Operation Enduring Freedom, that being they did not utilize the Soviet Invasion in Afghanistan as an opportunity to learn, and instead 5 Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, “Afghanistan: Remembering the Long, Long War We Would Rather Forget,” War on the Rocks (Texas National Security Review, February 5, 2019), https://warontherocks.com/2019/02/afghanistan-remembering-the-long-long-war-we-would-rather-forget/. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 Kyle Tadman, “An American Provocation: U.S. Foreign Policy during the Soviet-Afghanistan War,” Western Illinois Historical Review V (2013): pp. 31-65. 9 10
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