IMAGINEA ADVERSARULUI ÎN RĂZBOIULUI DIN AFGHANISTAN (1979-1989) ÎN MEMORIA COMBATANŢILOR BASARABENI
THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN (1979-1989): THE ENEMY’S IMAGE IN THE MEMORY OF THE BESSARABIAN COMBATANTS

Summary/Abstract: This study analyses the adversary in general, as an element of opposition, from two perspectives: the image of the adversary described in the Soviet propaganda during the intervention in Afghanistan (the official version), and the same image described by the Bessarabian participants (the alternative to the official version). The following conclusions have been dropped: The USSR – being a totalitarian state – built itself a very violent message regarding the its adversaries. Operating with notions such as: “international help”, imperialist powers” etc., the Kremlin placed people within an antagonist, bipolar world. The same will be used during the military campaign in Afghanistan. A so-called pacifist, mutual help propaganda preceded the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, and continued during the war as well. Moscow presented also other arguments, in order to justify their actions in the eyes of the public opinion: the external menace regarding the revolution in April, and the possible attack coming form the southern part of the country. The soviet propaganda largely used the uncertainty and anxiety state of mind, in order to mobilize the society. It generated: informational psychosis, adversary culpability, and “psychological war”. The political message was transmitted through different means: official speech, mass media etc. In the soviet propaganda, the war in Afghanistan was based on the idea of the savior state and the victim state. All these, together with different manipulation techniques and actions, represented to the soviets the perfect reasonable explanation to intervene in force in the neighboring country. The youth’s ideological education was extremely important. But the abstract notion of the adversary was not enough to provide a solid basis in the education of the young Soviet combatants (that were sent to Afghanistan). They would encounter during the missions real people that had a different mentality. The Soviet soldiers had to fight in a country that was totally different from theirs, under each and every aspect (social, economical, political, cultural, and in terms of mentality), thus their psychological state of mind was overloaded. This image of the enemy was projected not only on the opposition forces but also on the allies, and the civil population. The Bessarabian combatants’ relationships with the opposing troupes differed from case to case: starting with direct confrontation to friendly behavior. The adversaries were brave, good fighters, well informed; they liked money (drugs), and they are fanatics when it comes to religion. The proved to be good strategists: they can catch you unaware in the mountains, on the road, in your very military unit, anywhere...

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