Two Books on Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

choi

Brian M Downing, Moscow vs the Mujahideen; Wall Street Journal, Nov 12, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... SJ_Books_LS_Books_8
(book review on two books: Rodric Braithwaite, Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-1989. Oxford Univ Press, 2011 and
Artemy M Kalinovsky, A Long Goodbye: The Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Harvard Univ Press, 2011)

Note:
(a) The first name of Yuri Andropov is the usual Russian form of George, beside Georgi.
(b) The book review says, "The Politburo interventionists countered: The Americans were already abandoning détente by rejecting the SALT II arms-control agreement, funding the MX missile and B1 bomber, and deploying Pershing missiles to Europe."

SALT stands for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. SALT I led to  Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 (signed and ratified that year), which US withdrew in 2002 (in the course of developing missile defense). SALT II (whose negotiations started in 1972) led to SALT II treaty which President Carter and General Secretary Brezhnev signed in Vienna on June 18, 1979. "Six months after the signing, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and in September of the same year, the Soviet combat brigade deployed to Cuba was discovered. In light of these developments, the treaty was never formally ratified by the United States Senate. Its terms were, nonetheless, honored by both sides until 1986 when the Reagan Administration withdrew from SALT II after accusing the Soviets of violating the pact." Wikipedia
(c) MX missile (for Missile-eXperimental), also known as LGM-118 Peacekeeper, was in service 1986-2005. Two weeks ago, we learned about "Racetrack" proposal that was supported by Carter but abandoned by Reagan.
(d) MGM-31 Pershing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGM-31_Pershing
(a family of solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missiles designed and built by Martin Marietta; named after General John J Pershing; In service 1960–1986)

(A) John J Pershing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing
(1860-1948; led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I)
(B) Pershing is Americanized spelling of German surname Pfersching, from Middle High German pfersich ‘peach.’

(e) Afghan warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated on the eve of Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attack on US.
(f) quotidian (adj; Latin quotidie every day, from quot (as) many as + dies day):
"1: occurring every day <quotidian fever>
2a : belonging to each day : EVERYDAY <quotidian routine>
b : COMMONPLACE, ORDINARY <quotidian drabness>"
www.m-w.com
(g) Rudyard Kipling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling
(Joseph Rudyard Kipling; 1865-1936; writings includes a short story "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888), his poem sMandalay (1890) and The White Man's Burden (1899); his parents John and Alice (née MacDonald) had met in 1863 and courted at Rudyard Lake in Rudyard, Staffordshire, England)
(h) Pathan (n; Hindi & Urdu, from Pashto (eastern dialect) Paxtana, plural of Paxtun): "PASHTUN"

(A) The "h" is silent.
(B) Pashtun (n): a member of the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan

(i) The book review states after Soviet comnpleted withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, "The Afghan government remained in power several years, owing less to Moscow's support than to mujahideen disunity."

(A) That government lasted from 1989 to 1992.

The final blow: "With the end of the Soviet Union, Najibullah's regime lost all credibility and by 1992, after a Russian decision to end fuel shipments to Afghanistan, Najibullah's regime began to collapse." Wikipedia
(B) Taliban ruled many parts of Afghanistan and the capital Kabul 1996-December, 2001.

(j) dodder (vi); "to tremble or shake from weakness or age"
(k) The Arab word Mujahideen is plural, meaning "strugglers" or "people doing jihad"--Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad ("struggle"). Many came from other countries. Wikipedia