Corrected Culture Topic Essay

Hey guys!

One post earlier I told you about our Culture Days. So, here you can read what I talked about during my presentation!


CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

Humankind has always been fighting. Fighting for land, fighting for freedom, fighting for stability. War is a constant in human history. Whether in 333 in Issos or in the 1800s in America, mankind has never been reluctant to use force in order to fulfil its goals. When the Russian army invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the war between these two countries would soon become a cold war between Russia and the United States of America. The US wanted payback for the war in Vietnam, where Russia had “secretly” fought next to the Vietcong, providing weapons. The war between Afghanistan and Russia became a proxy war. The Cold War has had many heroes but there was one man who surpassed them all: Texas Congressman Charles Wilson.

Charles “Charlie” Wilson was a man who led a very eventful life. Born in 1933 in a small and conservative town called Trinity, Texas, he grew up as a devout Christian. This helped him to get elected to represent his district in the US Congress. Wilson was a man with many weaknesses of character. He loved women, alcohol -- mainly Scotch -- and he was accused of taking cocaine during a party in Las Vegas. However, in spite of these flaws he was a strong man who never broke his promises. In his last years he was known as “Can-Do Charlie” because he made it possible to beat Russia in Afghanistan by vastly increasing the budget of the American Defence Appropriations Committee. He was the first civilian to be honoured for his commitment by the CIA.

Russian soldiers invading Afghanistan was the start of a war Charlie Wilson would soon care about. Thousands of Afghan Muslims joined the Mujahideen, which was a guerrilla force. While Russia told the public that they had been invited by the government and were not invading the country, the Mujahideen declared a jihad – a holy war. First they were equipped with old rifles but America managed to play weapons into the hands of the Mujahideen. That was the turning point – the Mujahideen were finally able to defend themselves and their country successfully. According to Chris Trueman, a historian, the Russian Army used napalm, poison gas and helicopter gunships but they had to experience the same military scenario as the US had in Vietnam. The Mujahideen had proven to be a rough opponent for the Russians. Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia’s president at that time, had to withdraw the Russian troops when he realised that his army would not be able to win.

The woman who made Charlie Wilson confident about the war in Afghanistan was Joanne Herring. She was the sixth richest woman in Texas, very afraid of communism and had a very close relationship to him. In 1980, she contacted many influential people and tried to convince them that people in Afghanistan needed weapons urgently. Aside from that, she was sure that if Afghanistan lost the war, America would be next to be attacked. She was such a strong-willed person that Charlie Wilson was not able to say “No” when she informed him that she had organized a meeting between him and Pakistan’s president Zia. When Charlie flew to Pakistan, he also visited the big refugee camps with thousands of Afghans. All this pain and suffering touched him, so he made a decision.

He decided to contact the CIA. The man who was sent to him was Gust Avrakotos, a quick-tempered and confident man with a strong will, who would turn out to be his most important link to the CIA. With his help it was possible for Charlie Wilson to successfully make deals with the presidents of Israel and Pakistan. These two men promised to provide weapons so nobody could trace them back to the United States. This was necessary not to make a real war out of a cold war. When the Mujahideen were finally able to defend themselves they struck back hard and drove Russia out of their country. The CIA mission to supply Afghanistan was the most successful operation in CIA history. Making a big mistake, the United States stopped caring when the Russian troops were gone. That is why Charlie Wilson talked about having “fucked up the endgame” because they a the country that would have needed help to rebuild itself.

If Charlie Wilson had not been the confident and caring politician he was, the story might have ended differently. The Congressman and his commitment for another country in need remains unique up to this day. Although Charlie Wilson was a politician with weaknesses, he was the only Congressman to care enough to make a difference. This is what really impresses me especially because we live in a world where so many people have stopped caring about their fellow man.

I hope you like my essay! What do you think about it? Leave a comment! :)

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