Bates College Journal of Political Studies
Abstract
The Soviet Afghan War has emerged in popular culture and scholarship as a quintessential case of an innovative and superior technology being able to foil an enemy that would have otherwise emerged as the victor of a conflict. This is almost always in reference to the Afghan Mujahedin being able to counter technologically superior Soviet MI-24 Gunship Helicopters with American heat-seeking missiles. However, this assumption is largely shortsighted to the actual dynamics present in the Soviet Afghan conflict. Specifically, the failure to understand how an unconventional conflict like the Soviet Afghan war is fought, and an ineffective assessment of the FIM-92 Stinger manpad, and manpads themselves as a technology, help further the notion that the American manpad technology itself was what led to Mujihadeen victory. Through a thorough analysis of how the established literature on how guerrillas themselves function across all conflicts, and then applying these insights to the Soviet-Afghan conflict, one can better understand that a technology having a game-changing effect hinges upon the proper and nuanced introduction of technologies. In addition, to better understand why the Stinger missile was able to have such a game-changing effect on the Soviet Afghan conflict, the origins of the conflict and the effects that the nation of Afghanistan itself, especially its geography, had on the conflict will be highlighted. This, paired with acknowledging potential counterarguments, will present how guerrillas in a conflict can effectively beat a force that has a technological advantage over them.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Giller, Augustus MFXU
(2026)
"Guerillas, MANPADs, and How to Shift a Conflict in Favor of the Weaker Side,"
Bates College Journal of Political Studies: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scarab.bates.edu/bjps/vol3/iss1/3