Russia's Soft Power Push in Afghanistan
https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/russ...n-afghanistan/
Investment in Afghan economic development is part of a strategy to rebrand Russia’s image in Afghanistan.
The linkage between Russia’s economic development initiatives and Moscow’s pursuit of soft power in Afghanistan is revealed most compellingly by its expanded role in assisting Afghanistan’s infrastructure development. The Soviet Union’s instrumental role in the development of civilian infrastructure in Afghanistan prior to the outbreak of war in December 1979 is a source of nostalgia for many Afghans seeking a return to political stability.
The decades-long survival of numerous Soviet-era construction projects, like the Salang tunnel, which links Kabul to northern Afghanistan, and Afghanistan-Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge, has been highlighted by advocates of expanded Russian involvement in Afghanistan.....
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