War, politics and society in Afghanistan, 1978-1992 / Antonio Giustozzi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Giustozzi, Antonio.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social conditions.

Afghanistan--History--Soviet occupation, 1979-1989.

Afghanistan.

History.

Afghanistan--History--1989-.

Afghanistan--Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xiv, 320 pages : maps ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, 2000.

Summary:

This book is the first to analyze the institutions, successes, and failures of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, the pro-Soviet regime that sought to dominate the country during the years of the Soviet military presence. Antonio Giustozzi explores the military, political, and social strategies of the predominantly urban and Marxist regime as it struggled -- and ultimately failed -- to win the support of a largely rural and Islamic population.

Drawing on many Soviet materials not previously used by Western writers, including unpublished Red Army documents and interviews with participants, Giustozzi provides valuable new insights into the Cold War and the rise of Islamic revolt.

Contents:

Part I. The Limits of 'Sovietization'

Chapter 1. The original social base of the 'Democratic Republic' and its transformations 10

The situation in 1980 10

Transformations after 1980 16

The countryside 17

Chapter 2. Difficulties in the implementation of the social program of the Revolution 20

Female emancipation 20

The literacy campaign 22

The land reform 24

Chapter 3. The building up of the social base of the Saur Revolution and its limits 33

The expansion of party membership and its limits 33

The expansion of party structures 36

Agitprop 40

Expansion of the social base 46

Party militias 48

The republic of the notables 50

Chapter 4. Reluctant concessions and co-optations 54

Political approaches 54

Religious policy 57

Part II. The Afghan Regular Armed Forces: Reconstruction, Reorganization and Structural Limits

Chapter 5. Karmal's 'new model army' and its role in the war 65

Stages of recovery 67

The impact of military operations 70

Organizational developments 76

Chapter 6. The political shortcomings of the armed forces and the party response 81

Factional infighting 81

Desertions 84

The party and the armed forces 86

Chapter 7. The efforts to build up quantitatively the armed forces and their limits 89

Recruitment 89

Levels of manpower 93

Chapter 8. Attempts to address the strategic problems 95

Police operations 95

Intelligence operations 98

Porous borders 99

Strategic reserve 103

Chapter 9. (In-)Effectiveness of the Afghan armed forces 107

Morale and professionalism 107

Equipment 112

The overall strategic balance 113

Chapter 10. Perverse effects on the army of the transformations caused by the war 116

Part III. The 'Pacification Policy', 1980-1991

Chapter 11. The early approaches 120

The first strategic and tactical elaborations 120

Tribal policy 130

Chapter 12. The first political strategy of 'pacification' 137

The local organs of power 137

The National Fatherland Front 142

Achievements and further initiatives 147

Chapter 13. The National Reconciliation 154

Najibullah: continuity and discontinuity 154

National Reconciliation in the countryside 163

Impact of the Soviet withdrawal 176

Chapter 14. Overall considerations on the policy of 'pacification' 186

Achievements 186

Solidity and limits of the pacification policy 192

Part IV. The Role of the Militias

Chapter 15. Origins of the militia system 198

Chapter 16. The rise in importance of the militias 207

Chapter 17. The place of the militias in the economy of the war 213

Activities of the Militias 213

Loyalty of the Militias 216

Attempts to increase the reliability of the militias 219

Chapter 18. Perverse effects of the spread of the militias 225

Chapter 19. Conclusion: The Fall of Najibullah 232

Chapter 20. The aftermath: Afghanistan's disintegration 240.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

0878407588

OCLC:

44197652