United States policy objectives in aiding the Afghan resistance: Have they been achieved?

The effects of congressional influence on the covert US aid program to the Afghan resistance as well as the manipulation of the program by foreign governments are explored to establish the causes for the success or failure of that program. The analysis results from an extensive review of the available literature on the Afghan conflict, examination of government documents, and interviews with government officials, academicians, and journalists. The author concludes that the incompetence and managerial neglect of the Carter and Reagan administrations throughout the program's formulation enabled the Congress and foreign agents to distort the program and ensure its ultimate failure. The Cold War mind-set of some of the key policy actors, as well as other factors, need to be addressed to avoid similar misadventures in the future.