Word: diplomatic
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Soviet Union's 105,000 troops have failed in rooting out the mujahedin, the ragtag but stubborn guerrillas who control most of the countryside. Neither side has gained or lost much ground over the past three years, and all signs point to a continuing stalemate. Although diplomats began to speculate last November that new Soviet Leader Yuri Andropov would try to find a face-saving compromise that would allow the Soviet Union to withdraw from its Afghan quagmire, there has been no evidence of that so far. Says a senior British diplomat: "No one is winning, and short...
...They are split into half a dozen major factions. The mujahedin have been unable to unite under a joint commander, and sometimes they battle each other. "If the six groups could get together, they just might force the Soviets to rethink staying on in Afghanistan," says a senior Western diplomat in Islamabad. "But their infighting inevitably encourages the Soviets to hang...
...supply needed spare parts and machinery for the modernization of these factories, and for the construction of new ones, which are urgently needed. Relaxation of border tensions, which now tie up more than 1 million Chinese troops, could also help cut China's military expenditures. Says a U.S. diplomat in Washington: "The Chinese basically want some leverage over the Soviets, some diplomatic advantage, and they want economic aid. They're not expecting miracles...
...really see these two agreeing on anything very significant. But we sure don't want them to, either." Even if the Soviets and the Chinese move closer, there will be plenty of warning. "The U.S. does not have to panic or go courting cravenly," says a U.S. diplomat. "We expect no dramatic changes. And those who are apprehensive should realize this will proceed slowly, and not necessarily inimically to U.S. interests...
...biggest worry among party officials at the moment is figuring out what the Kremlin wants. "Andropov is as much a mystery to the Czechs as he is to us right now," says a Western diplomat. "They are waiting to see whether he wants blind loyalty or economic reform, or both...