British Involvement in the Afghan War (1979—1989)

The Soviet-Afghan war of 1979—1989 was one of the first armed conflicts in which Britain used all forms and methods of warfare of new generation, excluding the direct participation of its armed forces.The centuries’ colonial experience in manipulating countries and peoples to provide Britain’s economic well-being and achieve its global dominance, combined with extreme military and political pragmaticism in international relations of the Prime Minister M. Thatcher, allowed London to achieve temporary success in the “Big Game” in Central Asia. The article argues that at the end of the 20th and in the beginning of the 21st centuries the typical elements of Britain's modern military policy took shape, comprising a large scale of forms and methods which were first comprehensively tested in Afghanistan. That was a combination of direct and indirect support for the Afghan opposition; the formation of media discourse, including the international one; diverse activities of intelligence and reconnaissance, as well as of special forces and private military campaigns; various subversive and sabotage activities; arms supplies, financing and training of the Mujahideen; the creation of a proxy army; the large-scale involvement of a proxy country in the international drug business.