UDC

94(581)+94(47)084.9

Authors

Taisiya V. Rabush
Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design; ul. Bol’shaya Morskaya 18, St. Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation;
e-mail: taisarabush@mail.ru

Abstract

This article analyses the reaction of the world community (represented by the United Nations) to the entrance of a limited contingent of Soviet troops into Afghanistan and to its subsequent stay in this country. This topic has not yet found its meticulous researcher; therefore, its study seems necessary and relevant, especially taking into account the internationalization of current regional armed conflicts. The author analysed a number of UN General Assembly resolutions on the Afghan question adopted during the 1980s (up to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan), and a number of General Assembly resolutions adopted since the mid-1980s concerning the observance of human rights in Afghanistan. The paper dwells on the texts of the resolutions and changes in their meaning content, pointing out which UN member states supported these resolutions. The author comes to the conclusion that the negative attitude of the world community towards the presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan had minimal impact on the severity of the fighting with direct participation of Soviet troops. At the same time, however, UN General Assembly resolutions produced an incentive effect on the Soviet leadership, which, being aware of the growing international condemnation of the Soviet actions in Afghanistan, started to search for a diplomatic solution to the Afghan conflict.

Keywords

Soviet–Afghan War, regional armed conflicts, Afghan question, UN General Assembly resolutions, Cold War

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