arraya: Quoting Brezinski is problematic, and for three major reasons: (1) His obsession with the Soviets has made subsequent pronouncements suspect, largely because many of them are revisionist in nature and stand at odds with memoranda, letters and policies from the Carter Administration, most notably the recollections of Cyrus Vance, Secretary of State under Carter, (2) His claim to have either duped the Soviets into invading Afghanistan, or pushed them into it (as part of a grand geopolitical strategy on his part) is also at odds with history, especially the part which ignores the Soviet’s co-optation of the Kabul government in the months leading up to the 1979 invasion (this was well covered in the book “Charlie Wilson’s War”) and (3) His unwillingness to admit to his part in the formation of the muj, al-Qaeda and the Taliban, all of which he financed, armed and supported in their struggle against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

These would be those same “stirred up Moslems” that he gives such short shrift to in his interview. Note the juxtaposition to the “Greater Good” argument of putting the Soviets out of business. Also remember that the Afghan War was simply one event in the larger Cold War. What ultimately put the Soviets under was the massive monetary expenditures and econcomic exertions necessary to keep pace with the US, especially during the Reagan years.

As much as Brzezinski would love to take credit for much of this, history tells a different story.