WP units in China

[ChalkLine]

Originally Posted by Raellus

I think that I understand the broad generalization that you are trying to make, but I'm not sure that history supports that assessment. Both the USSR and the PRC engaged in numerous acts of aggression after 1957. In fact, they fought a 7-month long undeclared border war against one another in 1969 (and there were limited clashes before, and have been since).

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Yes, it was a neighboring country, but it was non-aligned, not a satellite, and culturally very different.

Both the USSR and the Soviet Union supported proxies in numerous internal and international conflicts around the world between 1957 and 1989. Although it was material support instead of direct military intervention, I would still consider supplying arms, intelligence, and advisory assistance act of aggression. Such was the nature of the Cold War.

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The Soviets invaded Afghanistan due to the Mujahedeen almost bringing down the government. This was funded by the Carter presidency for just that purpose, and the man that did it - Zbigniew Brzezinski - frankly admitted it in 1998 in the paper "Le Nouvel Observateur".
Quote:
“According to the official version of history, CIA aid to the Mujahadeen began during 1980, that is to say, after the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan on Dec. 24, 1979. But the reality, secretly guarded until now, is completely otherwise. Indeed, it was on July 3, 1979, that President Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. And that very day, I wrote a note to the president in which I explained to him that in my opinion this aid was going to induce a Soviet military intervention.”

Robert M. Gates had already foreshadowed this two years earlier in his book “From the Shadows” (Simon & Schuster, 1996)
Quote:
“The Carter administration began looking at the possibility of covert assistance to the insurgents opposing the pro-Soviet, Marxist government of President Taraki at the beginning of 1979. On March 5, 1979, CIA sent several covert action options relating to Afghanistan to the SCC [Special Coordination Committee].” A meeting of the SCC “was finally held on July 3, 1979, and — almost six months before the Soviets invaded Afghanistan — Jimmy Carter signed the first finding to help the Mujahedin covertly.”

So it wasn't an invasion, that's just the usual Cold War story we were told.