|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
Soviet Words, Soviet Deeds: Miles Apart in Afghanistan
| Article
# : |
10029 |
|
|
Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
|
| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1986 |
2,927 Words |
| Author
: |
Elie D. Krakowski
Elie D. Krakowski is special assistant to the assistant
secretary of defense. |
Has the Soviet position on a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan been shifting? Is Moscow about to accept what it has in the past always refused even to discuss?
Various Soviet public statements, made before and since the Geneva summit, have been cited as implying a greater Soviet willingness to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
The question is, do they? If one is to rely on vague noises emitted publicly by Soviet officials, there is, in fact, not much upon which to base an argument. In the first place, these public statements have not been accompanied by similar statements in private discussions with U.S. officials. Secondly, such rumors about alleged Soviet good intentions--somehow these never materialize into anything more than that--have a habit of cropping up on numerous occasions.
Several examples of this tendency should serve as useful reminders of the media's propensity for self-delusion. The New York Times, on February 1, 1980, quoted Occidental Petroleum chairman Armand Hammer as having been told by the Soviet ambassador to the United States that "the Soviet Union planned to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, but did not specify when." Added Hammer: The Soviet ambassador "has never lied to me."
According to George Kennan (The Washington Post, February 28, 1980), "The United States should not seek to increase the Soviet difficulty there, but rather explore the hints that the Soviets may seek a way out." Elsewhere there have appeared such flat statements as "The Soviet Union wants very much to negotiate its way out of Afghanistan"
... (1996 of 18308 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
