Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Mirpuri
The Soviet Intervention was a continuation of the Tsarist encroachment upon Asia.
The ultimate aim being access to the Indian Ocean. First, they had to go through Afghanistan (and then Pakistan).
The above is the traditional view.
Another view has it that the Soviets were asked to aid a fellow communist regime on their border and they simply thought: what could go wrong?
wrt bold, the general focus of the "Great Game" of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the acquisition of oil and gas fields in Central Asia, not so much access to the Indian Ocean. Control of the Indian Ocean was far more important for Britain pre-1947, as it was the main connection between Britain's Indian holdings and its access to oil via the Suez Canal. The Soviets had the alternative option of running pipelines and rail routes through the Caspian region.
Much as with the United States, the Soviet intervention was likely a combination of resource concern and ideological commitment. As in the case of Vietnam with the Americans, the Soviets worried that a wave of anti-communist discontent and revolution could potentially spread to other Central Asian Soviet Republics, derailing their energy exploitation strategy and vital resources.