US Foreign Policy: The Cold War Gave Us Osama Bin Laden?

Question

Here is what I found online, do you know anything about this? 

Two US Presidents (Reagan and I think the other was Carter) gave support to the Mujihadeen, because they helped bring down Russia in the Cold War - and that was successful.

However, one Mujihadeen recruit was Osama bin Laden, and after the USSR fell we all know what happened next...

So, was US support for the Mujihadeen a mistake? What could the Presidents have done better? How does the world get itself out of these violent cycles?

Answer 1

The whole situation is very complex, as many different parties, empires and nations were and are involved, and conflicts were frequent (and they still are):

About Afghanistan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan

Direct and indirect causes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Saudi_Arabia_proxy_war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Afghan_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_rights_in_Afghanistan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujahideen

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-spoils-of-war-afghanistan-s-multibillion-dollar-heroin-trade/91

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_production_in_Afghanistan

From the past:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_Afghanistan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Anglo-Afghan_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman%E2%80%93Hotaki_War_(1722%E2%80%9327)

Comments

Well Marianne, I could not seem to follow all the links, to see what is going on. I got stuck on the very first article, so LONG...but did learn much about Iran. I was especially concerned about the Anglo-Persian (or Anglo-Iranian) Company, which apparently was siphoning off huge oil wealth for Great Britain, while leaving most Iranians in poverty.

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Indeed, there is much reading to do, as many different parties and interests were/are involved.

Here's some more info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groups_in_Afghanistan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtuns

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Yes, big interests have caused too many damages and conflicts.