What old guard, Afghanistan had no so called old guard, when Russia took over, the U.S. saw it's chance to defeat Russia. Read the book "Charlie's War" if you really want to see how the U.S. got involved and what small but important mistake we made.
Daoud's Republic (1973-78 ) and the April 1978 Coup
Amid charges of corruption and malfeasance against the royal family and poor economic conditions created by the severe 1971-72 drought, former Prime Minister Daoud seized power in a military coup on July 17, 1973. Zahir Shah fled the country, eventually finding refuge in Italy. Daoud abolished the monarchy, abrogated the 1964 constitution, and declared Afghanistan a republic with himself as its first President and Prime Minister. His attempts to carry out badly needed economic and social reforms met with little success, and the new constitution promulgated in February 1977 failed to quell chronic political instability. Seeking to exploit more effectively mounting popular disaffection, the PDPA reunified with Moscow's support. On April 27, 1978, the PDPA initiated a bloody coup, which resulted in the overthrow and murder of Daoud and most of his family. Nur Muhammad Taraki, Secretary General of the PDPA (People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan), became President of the Revolutionary Council and Prime Minister of the newly established Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. And the rest is what happened leading up to today.
http://www.historyofnations.net/asia/afghanistan.html
Perhaps you should have read the rest of this interview.
[SIZE=-1]Brzezinski: It isn’t quite that. We didn’t push the Russians to intervene, but we knowingly increased the probability that they would.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Q: When the Soviets justified their intervention by asserting that they intended to fight against a secret involvement of the United States in Afghanistan, people didn’t believe them. However, there was a basis of truth. You don’t regret anything today?
Brzezinski: Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it? The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter: We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war. Indeed, for almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on a war unsupportable by the government, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire.
Q: And neither do you regret having supported the Islamic [integrisme], having given arms and advice to future terrorists?
Brzezinski: What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?
Q: Some stirred-up Moslems? But it has been said and repeated: Islamic fundamentalism represents a world menace today.
Brzezinski: Nonsense! It is said that the West had a global policy in regard to Islam. That is stupid. There isn’t a global Islam. Look at Islam in a rational manner and without demagoguery or emotion. It is the leading religion of the world with 1.5 billion followers. But what is there in common among Saudi Arabian fundamentalism, moderate Morocco, Pakistan militarism, Egyptian pro-Western or Central Asian secularism? Nothing more than what unites the Christian countries.
[/SIZE] "Combine that with a slanted view in your link and the ones that were in power were fighting the 'old guard' and they were the ones who had ruled in a brutish way, the same brutality was being used against them. In a typical hypocritical way the 'old guard' was protrayed in the West as being the 'liberators' to a suppressive government. All a person has to do is look at the reforms that were actually taking place, land was being taken from the 'overlords' and being given to the people. sames as what happened in Cuba after the US was expelled. Look how the violence used against the Government of Libya was cheered by the West when it went far and above any violence that had been used against the civilians under the then ruling Government. If the lives of the civilians take a downturn from what they had before then the 'rebels' are the real totalitarians. Apply that to Afghanistan and the 'rebels' had control for a very short time and the rights and freedoms being extended to civilians was better than it had been and that is the Government that the US was against. Please spare me your obvious bull**** that comes in the form of a intentionally dishonest view of the facts.
Seeking to exploit more effectively mounting popular disaffection, the PDPA reunified with Moscow's support. On April 27, 1978, the PDPA initiated a bloody coup, which resulted in the overthrow and murder of Daoud and most of his family. Nur Muhammad Taraki, Secretary General of the PDPA, became President of the Revolutionary Council and Prime Minister of the newly established Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
Opposition to the Marxist government emerged almost immediately. During its first 18 months of rule, the PDPA brutally imposed a Marxist-style "reform" program, which ran counter to deeply rooted Afghan traditions. Decrees forcing changes in marriage customs and pushing through an ill-conceived land reform were particularly misunderstood by virtually all Afghans. In addition, thousands of members of the traditional elite, the religious establishment, and the intelligentsia were imprisoned, tortured, or murdered. Conflicts within the PDPA also surfaced early and resulted in exiles, purges, imprisonments, and executions.
By the summer of 1978, a revolt began in the Nuristan region of eastern Afghanistan and quickly spread into a countrywide insurgency. In September 1979, Hafizullah Amin, who had earlier been Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, seized power from Taraki after a palace shootout. Over the next 2 months, instability plagued Amin's regime as he moved against perceived enemies in the PDPA. By December, party morale was crumbling, and the insurgency was growing. "
I'm trying to white-wash the takeover as being non-violent, you can't defeat a violent Government without being just as violent in the takeover. The difference is what happens after the takeover, for the 'old guard' repression was the norm, keeping the vast majority of the population in poverty and deprived of things that Canadians would take as fundamental rights was to be denied permanently. We certainly didn't show any abject horror to the hunting down and killing of Saddam or Gaddafi, no matter how many (innocent) people were killed in that quest. We even celebrated the kills in an ogreish fashion yet when it suits us we can be the exact oppostite, support brutal dictatorships to no end and support the mass killing of anybody who would dare 'revolt' against those powers.
Reforms and repression, 1978–1979
Once in power, the PDPA implemented a socialist agenda. It moved to promote
state atheism.
[6] The regime abolished Muslim laws and encouraged men to cut off their beards. Women were no longer allowed to wear the Burqa, and mosques were placed off limits during the reforms. The mosques re-opened in the 80s, because the party tried to win more supporters. It carried out an ambitious
land reform, waiving farmers' debts countrywide and abolishing
usury — intended to release the poorer farmers from
debt peonage.
[7]
The government of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan moved to prohibit traditional practices which were deemed feudal in nature, including banning
bride price (
Mahr) and
forced marriage. The minimum age for marriage was also raised. Education was stressed for both men and women and widespread
literacy programmes were set up.
[8] According to sources, in 1988, women made up 40 percent of the doctors and 60 percent of the teachers at the
University of Kabul; 440,000 female students were enrolled in educational institutions and 80,000 more in literacy programs. Western dress was common in the cities, and women enjoyed freedom from having to cover their faces with veils.
[9]
Such reforms however were not universally well-received, being viewed by many Afghans (particularly in rural areas) as the imposition of secular western values considered to be alien to Afghan culture and un-Islamic. As had happened earlier in the century, resentment with the government's programme and the manner in which it was imposed, along with widespread
repression, provoked a backlash from tribal and Islamic leaders.
[8]
The PDPA invited the
Soviet Union to assist in modernizing its economic infrastructure (predominantly its exploration and mining of rare minerals and natural gas). The
USSR also sent contractors to build roads, hospitals and schools and to drill water wells; they also trained and equipped the Afghan army. In April 1978, the USSR delivered to Afghanistan free of charge 45 BTR-65 PB armored personnel carriers with ammunition; 26 combat radios for border troops; 10,000 Kalashnikov rifles (AK); and 5,000 Makarov pistols (PM) with ammunition, totalling about 6.3 million rubles.
[10] Upon the PDPA's ascension to power, and the establishment of the DRA, the Soviet Union promised monetary aid amounting to at least $1.262 billion.
(much more at the link)
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
