This project investigates the role of Soviet Central Asians in the Afghan war (1979-1989) and the effect that the war had on the region. Thousands of Tajiks and Uzbeks, and others from the region, served in Afghanistan as soldiers, translators, and advisers. Drawing on memoirs, local press, archival materials, and extensive interviews collected with the help of this Title VIII grant, I examine the experiences of some of these individuals. I also look at their role in political developments after the war to better understand the importance of the region for the Soviet effort in Afghanistan and the legacies of that war after 1989.
Artemy M. Kalinovksy, of the University of Amsterdam, was a 2010-11 Individual Advanced Research Opportunities (IARO) [9] fellow.
