The two-decade-long U.S.-led military mission in
Afghanistan ended in August 2021 after a chaotic departure of the NATO troops.
Power in Kabul transferred back to the Taliban, the political force the United
States and its allies tried to defeat. In its failure to achieve a lasting
change, the Western mission in Afghanistan is similar to that of the Soviet
Union in the 1980s. These two missions in Afghanistan had many things in
common, specifically their unsuccessful counterinsurgency efforts. However, both
managed to achieve limited success in their attempts to impose their style of
governance on Afghanistan as well. The current study compares and contrasts
some of the crucial aspects of counterinsurgency operations conducted by the
Soviet and Western forces during their respective missions, such as special
forces actions, propaganda activities, and dealing with crucial social issues.
Interestingly, when the Soviets withdrew in 1988, they left Afghanistan worse
off, but the US-backed opposition forces subsequently made the situation even
worse. On the other hand, the Western mission left the country better off in
2021, and violence subsided when power in the country was captured by the
Taliban, which the United States has opposed.
