No Miracles: The Failure of Soviet Decision-Making in the Afghan War
()
About this ebook
The Soviet experience in Afghanistan provides a compelling perspective on the far-reaching hazards of military intervention. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev decided that a withdrawal from Afghanistan should occur as soon as possible. The Soviet Union's senior leadership had become aware that their strategy was unraveling, their operational and tactical methods were not working, and the sacrifices they were demanding from the Soviet people and military were unlikely to produce the forecasted results. Despite this state of affairs, operations in Afghanistan persisted and four more years passed before the Soviets finally withdrew their military forces.
In No Miracles, Michael Fenzel explains why and how that happened, as viewed from the center of the Soviet state. From that perspective, three sources of failure stand out: poor civil-military relations, repeated and rapid turnover of Soviet leadership, and the perception that Soviet global prestige and influence were inexorably tied to the success of the Afghan mission. Fenzel enumerates the series of misperceptions and misjudgments that led to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, tracing the hazards of their military intervention and occupation. Ultimately, he offers a cautionary tale to nation states and policymakers considering military intervention and the use of force.
Related to No Miracles
Related ebooks
Cultures of Economy in South-Eastern Europe: Spotlights and Perspectives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOperation Rösselprung And The Elimination Of Tito, 25 May 1944: A Failure In Planning And Intelligence Support Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUntangling the Middle East: A Guide to the Past, Present, and Future of the World's Most Chaotic Region Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Devil Is A Banker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPost-Soviet Russia: A Journey Through the Yeltsin Era Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Nation in the Village: The Genesis of Peasant National Identity in Austrian Poland, 1848–1914 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On the Margins: Essays on the History of Jews in Estonia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary: The Right Nation: Review and Analysis of John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge's Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoviets in Space: The People of the USSR & the Race to the Moon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFear and Memory in the Brazilian Army and Society, 1889-1954 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Schlieffen Plan: Critique of a Myth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Counter-Blaste to Tobacco Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWarlord Survival: The Delusion of State Building in Afghanistan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHitler's Europe Ablaze: Occupation, Resistance, and Rebellion during World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnlikely Allies: Nazi German and Ukrainian Nationalist Collaboration in the General Government During World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Republic in the Ranks: Loyalty and Dissent in the Army of the Potomac Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Endurance and War: The National Sources of Military Cohesion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Partners In Command Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Against Immediate Evil: American Internationalists and the Four Freedoms on the Eve of World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsActive Defense: China's Military Strategy since 1949 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blue and Gray Diplomacy: A History of Union and Confederate Foreign Relations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The 25-Year War: America's Military Role in Vietnam Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Waging War, Planning Peace: U.S. Noncombat Operations and Major Wars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFor the Common Defense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Full Spectrum Dominance: Irregular Warfare and the War on Terror Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConfronting the War Machine: Draft Resistance during the Vietnam War Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Faith in Freedom: Propaganda, Presidential Politics, and the Making of an American Religion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTo Starve the Army at Pleasure: Continental Army Administration and American Political Culture, 1775-1783 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica and the Future of War: The Past as Prologue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Point of the Spear: The Cold War Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Politics For You
Daily Stoic: A Daily Journal On Meditation, Stoicism, Wisdom and Philosophy to Improve Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The U.S. Constitution with The Declaration of Independence and The Articles of Confederation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prince Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Anarchist Cookbook Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The January 6th Report Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear: Trump in the White House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Awakening: Defeating the Globalists and Launching the Next Great Renaissance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ever Wonder Why?: and Other Controversial Essays Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Capitalism and Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1]: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on the U.S.-Israeli War on the Palestinians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for No Miracles
0 ratings0 reviews