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Gregory Feifer
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The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan Kindle Edition

by Gregory Feifer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 217 ratings
#1 Best Seller in History of Afghanistan
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An account of the USSR’s defeat in Afghanistan drawing on many interviews with Soviet veterans: “Fascinating. . . . A highly readable history of the conflict.” —The New York Times Book Review

In this groundbreaking account of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, former NPR Moscow correspondent Gregory Feifer vividly depicts the war that contributed greatly to the demise of the USSR, and that offers striking lessons for the twenty-first century as well. Told primarily from the perspective of the Russians who fought it, The Great Gamble offers valuable insight into the history of Afghanistan’s troubled government and the rise of the mujahideen and Al-Qaeda.

“Feifer has done truly extraordinary research . . . For all its heft, [The Great Gamble] is an effortless read—an unusual and gratifying combination.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A provocative and important book, telling us what the Soviet military was thinking and feeling as it lost its war in Afghanistan. Gregory Feifer vividly shows that their campaigns there amounted to a manual of how not to do it.” —Thomas Ricks, author of Fiasco

“Thoughtful, deliberative use of eyewitness testimony gives an intensely close-up sense of what the war was like for those who fought it.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Brings to life in spirited detail the bloody, eight-year struggle that killed a million Afghans and tens of thousands of Russians and broke the back of the Soviet Union, which disappeared within two years of the war’s end. You think it can’t happen to us? Read Feifer.” —Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of Heisenberg’s War
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  1. Print length
    338 pages
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  5. Publication date
    January 6, 2009
  6. File size
    8234 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

Feifer�s history of the Soviet misadventure in Afghanistan, in the nineteen-eighties, comes just in time for a proposed expansion of the seven-year-old American effort there. It ought to be instructive, because the Soviet experience (�an increasingly senseless conflict�) closely mirrors our own�a lightly contested invasion later thwarted by a homegrown resistance and the �Afghan tradition of shifting allegiances.� Feifer assiduously chronicles Soviet errors; some, like the indiscriminate use of explosives when searching villages and the shelling of wedding parties mistaken for bands of the enemy, have close analogues in the current war. Yet, strangely, having pointed out all the parallels, Feifer persists in thinking of the American venture as a �historic opportunity� undermined by the second front, in Iraq, rather than as intrinsically hopeless.
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From Booklist

Feifer’s account of the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion and 10-year occupation of Afghanistan from 1979–89 builds on considerable original research and on Russian-language histories not available in English. Emphasizing the experiences of Soviet personnel sent to Afghanistan, Feifer portrays their war within the context of political and military decisions that led to their fighting in Afghanistan. The actual decision by Soviet leaders to invade was, as far as Feifer can discover, a muddle. It came after the Communist government in Kabul, unable to quash violent resistance to its program, split apart in bloody factional fighting. But by staging a coup to install their stooge Babrak Karmal in power, the Soviets took the war into their own hands and escalated it accordingly. Their major offensives, acording to Feifer, never delivered a strategic victory, though they tended to prevail in individual battles depicted in the stories of several Soviet officers and soldiers. Tracing the arc of the Soviets’ military disillusionment in Afghanistan, Feifer, who is an NPR reporter in Moscow, provides essential historical background to the present war in Afghanistan. --Gilbert Taylor

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001P2UV7Y
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins e-books; Reprint edition (January 6, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 6, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 8234 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 217 ratings

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4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
217 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

David Freydkin
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book from the Soviet perspective
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2021
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The Soviet-Afghan War from 1979 to 1989 has gone down in history as one of the more obscure wars. However, the war and its historical significance really does not get the recognition and analysis that it merits. I really believe that if more attention were paid to that war, the mistakes of the NATO war in Afghanistan would not have been repeated.

The Soviet government, led by Premier Leonid Brezhnev during 1979, invaded Afghanistan for various reasons. Firstly, there was an Islamic revolution approximately one month prior in neighboring Iran. Due to the Muslim majorities in Soviet Central Asia and parts of the Caucasus, the Soviet leadership feared that the Islamic revolution would spread to those parts and incite rebellion against their Communist leadership and policies. Secondly, the Communist Afghan government requested Soviet assistance in putting down rebellions. Due to this also being the Cold War, the Soviets figured they would appear weak and unreliable to the developing world if they failed to assist fellow Communists in such countries. Also, access to Afghanistan would be tactically significant to the Soviets as it would allow them to be closer to the Persian Gulf.

As one reads The Great Gamble by Gregory Feifer, it becomes clear that the, despite their superiority in military strength, the Red Army would have lost the war regardless. The reason is that there is nothing to accomplish in Afghanistan. It is not a country but a land inhabited by many different tribes living 16th Century lifestyles. Trying to build a state there, whether Communist or Democratic, is like trying to make a profit by selling to a homeless person. It is a lost cause.

The notorious Osama Bin Laden was present in Afghanistan during that time, assisting the Afghan tribesmen against the Soviet invaders. I think his plan the entire time afterwards was to get the US hopelessly involved in Afghanistan like what happened to the USSR. That is why he chose it as his haven during 911. Unfortunately, the US bought it hook, line, and sinker. Afghanistan is not called the Graveyard of Empires for nothing.
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Arkansaw Traveler
4.0 out of 5 stars Not the Definitive Work, But Very Informative
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2009
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Several of the other reviews are accurate in informing the prospective reader of the book's content, so I will confine my remarks to several additional points. This is not the definitive work, but is almost the first book to come out based on recent Soviet archival material release (& personal inverviews) to give Western readers an appreciation of the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan and the reasons why they went into the country. No doubt other works will appear in the coming years to flesh out the story in a very scholarly fashion, but this one will do for now.

Communist doctrine was a poor fit in Afghanistan due to a missing element -- there was and still is essentially no proletariat (e.g. no workers.) That immediately brings in the question as to how Mao was successful in China (or Stalin in the Soviet Union) for that fact, but neither had to contend with a very strong religious presence which governed the lives of the people. Simply put, Communism was unable to supplant the Islam and Islamic Law. It now remains to be seen if the United States will do any better with its attempt to impose a nationwide secular democracy. The forces against the U.S. are the same as were against the Soviets.

The Soviets attempted to modernize Afghanistan and liberate its people from medieval institutions yet were unable to comprehend that the people preferred to live as they wished rather than to have civilization, progressivism, and modernization forced on them, particularly by outsiders. Gee, that sounds exactly like what the U.S. is attempting to do. Although the author and some reviewers decry tribalism, one must remember that it is a peoples' right to live as they wish -- under tribalism if that is their choice. Although the religion and culture are different, the Muslim Afghans have much in common with the Presbyterian Scotch-Irish in America. All government is an abridgement on personal freedom, and in all matters not subject to Islamic Law, the Afghans demanded freedom under local (tribal and family) control. For whatever reason, much of the American citizenry has forgotten (if it ever knew) that our Founding Fathers recognized much the same problem (excepting the substitution of Christian culture and the 10 Commandments for Islam) and our current Federal Government now sees such concepts as backward and obstacles to progressivism.

I, for one, was swept up by the author's narrative to a point of sympathy for the Soviet soldier and officer on the ground, trying his best but not comprehending the reasons for or the futility of the struggle. They were often unable to understand Afghan culture and failed to see that liberating women from their subservient status was hardly a winning strategy (some male Americans might now agree after seeing American women voting for Obama en masse due to his sexual attraction.) Money poured into buildings, roads, medical facilities and all the trappings of a modern society was simply wasted. Gee, are we now doing the same thing?

Ultimately, the power politics that drew the Soviets reluctantly into Afghanistan to control Central Asia for their own strategic purposes helped doom the Soviet Union. This should be a lesson for all, even though the U.S. went into Afghanistan to punish a regime that harbored and trained terrorists who were/are at war with the U.S. OK, so if bin Laden is killed or captured, will we leave Afghanistan? And if not, why not? What are/will be the reasons for staying? Are those reasons the same as those for the Soviets? As this book points out, the Soviets finally realized that withdrawing from Afghanistan would not fatally damage their position in the world (although it encouraged the Chechens) and staying served no useful purpose. Frankly, it is time for Obama to read this book, particularly since he has no military experience and can hardly be expected to understand the difficulties facing American and Soviet soldiers and commanders in Afghanistan.

In short, this is a valuable book in which one learns that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The Soviet war in Afghanistan was fought to the best of the Red Army's ability, and even today Soviet veterans have much the same feelings of being let down by their government as American veterans of Vietnam have.

Although some say that Afghanistan was devastated by the Soviets, I note that the Afghan census recorded 13 million in 1979 while the current population estimate (2009) is over 28 million. Obviously all this warfare has not impeded a astounding fecundity in the Afghan people.

This is an important work and I recommend it to all. There are some errors, notably in geography and narrative continuity, but please read past these problems. There is much to learn here, not only for the individual American citizen but also for the Federal Government. Sooner or later people desire the ability to control their own lives rather than being told by a government what is good for them. The desire for freedom will trump progressivism in the end when the central government over-reaches into the private lives of the citizens. The alien Soviets did that almost simply by their presence in Afghanistan -- our increasingly remote and elitist Federal Government and its ruling bureaucracy may well be fast approaching the same point.
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johnmurphy
5.0 out of 5 stars WAR HISTORY AT ITS MODERN BEST
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2022
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You will not find a better account of Russia's suicidal conflict in Afghanistan (1979-89) than The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan by Gregory Feifer. Unlike too many books on modern war, Feifer contributes extensive notes and a full bibliography to accompany his superb account of Russia's "internationalist struggle" to buttress the Afghan Marxist government of President Babrak Karmal, who previously had been the boss of the ruthless KHAD secret police, the Afghan "mini-me" of Russia's KGB. Feifer successfully blends a riveting account of the war with affecting accounts of individual Russians in combat, like the gallant duo Valery Vostrotin, of the 345th Separate Parachute Regiment, and the helicopter pilot Vladimir Kostiuchenko. Gregory Feifer's The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan merits comparison with the very best accounts of men at war, like Thucydides' The Peloponnesian War and the beloved accounts of our Civil War by Bruce Caton and Shelby Foote. Cheers, Professor John F Murphy
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David Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Start To Finish
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018
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The perfect level of details for an incredibly complex war. The choice to touch on individual stories of soldiers was really quite essential to get a grasp on life in the USSR military.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Dana
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
It is a good insight into what is
currently happening in the Ukraine. Worth the read if you are interested in the ongoing proxy war.
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Bob
5.0 out of 5 stars Great perspective
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2023
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Terrific
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michele petrucci
5.0 out of 5 stars the great gamble
Reviewed in Italy on March 13, 2017
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interessantissimo con tantissime cose mai sapute sulla stampa italiana che tragedia ! facile lettura chissà se lo hanno letto quelli che ci hanno mandato i nostri soldati
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No bike, no fun
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great work.
Reviewed in Spain on January 10, 2017
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This is a great book about the Soviet War in Afghanistan... if you need information about the last years of the Red Army, you must read it.
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L. Aßmann
2.0 out of 5 stars Für die Signifikanz des Themas zu schwach
Reviewed in Germany on March 16, 2009
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Bezieht sich auf das AUDIOBOOK; das Audiobook steht und fällt mit der Stimme. Der Leser verschluckt in seinem Deep Throat English oft ganze Satzendungen. Singsang ist garnicht vorhanden, sodass es schwer fällt sich in die Stimmung der Soldaten zu versetzen.
Rein Inhaltlich muss man sagen, hat der Autor im Großen und Ganzen eigentlich nur die Erlebnisberichte einiger Soldaten wiedergegeben, was aber einen tiefen Einblick vermittelt ( daher 2 Sterne und nicht 1), aber wenn man einen Abriß über den Afghanistan-Einsatz sucht, ist man hier an der falschen Stelle. Chronologisch und Analytisch bietet das Buch garnichts; wir hören nichts über die Strategie der Soviets, was sich im Politbüro alles abgespielt hat ( während des Krieges), wie die russische Öffentlichkeit das Problem wahrgenommen hat; Der Autor verliert sich in Details der afghanischen Provinzmentalität, aus der das Buch nicht herauszukommen scheint. Man muss ja bis CD 5-6 warten, bis das Buch aus dem Geplänkel wie denn der Regierungspalast gestürmt wurde, herauskommt. Zu schwach für eine Thematik, die gerade uns Deutsche moment sehr interessiert.
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