The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

much to discuss.Ulyanovsky started from afar. It was obvious that he knew the Middle East very well. Hecited the dates of important historical events, the names of monarchs, their ministers, generals,and diplomats. He spoke about the national specifics (“More than twenty different peoples of fiveethnic groups live in this country”), he briefly touched upon the problem of the relationshipbetween the Pashtuns and other ethnic groups (“Pashtuns are the majority, and their position inAfghan society is generally considered to be a privileged one”). With great surprise, Zaplatindiscovered that there were lots of Soviet advisers in the Afghan armed forces (“Now there arearound three hundred Soviet military advisers there, if I am not mistaken, and the attitude ofAfghans to them is most positive”). For a long time, Ulyanovsky talked about the religious factor,particularly that of the extreme right wing of the Islamic clergy (“This is where the forthcomingdanger lies”). He told about the formation of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan in 1965.“Well, you are a general!” Ulyanovsky suddenly exclaimed. “How can one talk to a militaryman without using a map?” He took a map of Afghanistan from his bookshelf. The map was wornout, its margins filled with pencil marks. “Here—I will show you the future theater of your militaryactivities.”Without any difficulty, he identified the areas on the map in which the Pashtuns, Tajiks,Hazaras, Beluji, and Uzbeks were concentrated. He emphasized the fact that the central power inAfghanistan is traditionally weak, and that tribal authorities are the ones who make decisions.“But when external danger appears, all internal contradictions are forgotten, and the Afghans, as aunified force, fight against the enemy. This must be remembered.”Then they began to talk about party politics. Zaplatin felt more comfortable in this realm.The political clichés were very similar.142