Based on the result of our submissions topic, /u/Uhm_yup's submission received the most votes. I will repost the information below. We have one week to read the article and next Wednesday we will come together to discuss what we read. Some things to keep in mind as you read:
What did you like? What did you dislike?
What did you not understand? What was explained really well?
Did you notice any problems or issues in the premise/methodology/sources/etc?
What would you like to know more about?
Obviously you do not have to answer any or some of these questions, but consider them as you read.
I would also like to thank everyone who submitted articles, but did not receive the most votes. All of the submissions were varied, interesting, and sounded worth reading. I hope that you will consider resubmitting them in a week and a half when we choose our next article/chapter.
If there are any issues, comments, questions, etc. please let me know in the comments below. Feedback is more than welcome and highly encouraged. Again, thank you all and have fun reading.
Grau, Lester W. "Breaking Contact Without Leaving Chaos: The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan." The Journal of Military Slavic Studies 20, no. 2 (2007): 235-261.
There is a literature and a common perception that the Soviets were defeated and driven from Afghanistan. This is not true. When the Soviets left Afghanistan in 1989, they did so in a coordinated, deliberate, professional manner, leaving behind a functioning government, an improved military and an advisory and economic effort insuring the continued viability of the government. The withdrawal was based on a coordinated diplomatic, economic and military plan permitting Soviet forces to withdraw in good order and the Afghan government to survive. The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) managed to hold on despite the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Only then, with the loss of Soviet support and the increased efforts by the Mujahideen (holy warriors) and Pakistan, did the DRA slide toward defeat in April 1992. The Soviet effort to withdraw in good order was well executed and can serve as a model for other disengagements from similar nations. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979–1989, its occupation force, the 40th Army conducted 220 independent operations and over 400 combined operations of various scales. Many of these large-scale operations accomplished little, since this was primarily a tactical commanders' war. Some large-scale operations, such as the initial incursion into Afghanistan, Operation Magistral, which opened the highway to Khowst and the final withdrawal, were effective because the force employed was appropriate to the mission.
I'm new to this, are we allowed to discuss the intent or narrative of the author and the context in which this was written even if it's within the last 20 years?
Damn. I really wanted to talk about that pre-Columbian booze article.
But the Soviet one looks interesting too. I was in Afghanistan in 2012-2013 when we really started getting serious about retrograde (read: retreat) and demobilizing a lot of our contractor support, so this will be pretty cool.
Not that I'll bring any of that to the discussion. If I bring anything at all; you guys use big words.
This is wonderful. For some reason I had thought this was limited to books, not articles. I will try to keep up with this--not enough history stimulation since graduating.
The discussion is this Wednesday the 27th right?