We are demonstrating to the Soviet Union across a broad front that it will
pay a heavy price for its aggression in terms of our relationship.
Throughout the last decades U.S.-Soviet relations have been a mixture of
cooperation and competition. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the
imposition of a puppet government have highlighted in the starkest terms
the darker side of their policies, going well beyond competition and the
legitimate pursuit of national interest, and violating all norms of
international law and practice.
This attempt to subjugate an independent, non-aligned Islamic people is a
callous violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, two
fundamentals of international order. Hence, it is also a dangerous threat
to world peace. For the first time since the communization of Eastern
Europe after World War II, the Soviets have sent combat forces into an area
that was not previously under their control, into a non-aligned and
sovereign state.
The destruction of the independence of the Afghanistan government and the
occupation by the Soviet Union have altered the strategic situation in that
part of the world in a very ominous fashion. It has significantly shortened
the striking distance to the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf for the
Soviet Union.
It has also eliminated a buffer between the Soviet Union and Pakistan and
presented a new threat to Iran. These two countries are now far more
vulnerable to Soviet political intimidation. If that intimidation were to
prove effective, the Soviet Union could control an area of vital strategic
and economic significance to the survival of Western Europe, the Far East,
and ultimately the United States.
It has now been over a year since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan dealt
a major blow to U.S.-Soviet relations and the entire international system.
The U.S. response has proven to be serious and far-reaching. It has been
increasingly effective, imposing real and sustained costs on the U.S.S.R.'s
economy and international image.
Meanwhile, we have encouraged and supported efforts to reach a political
settlement in Afghanistan which would lead to a withdrawal of Soviet forces
from that country and meet the interests of all concerned. It is Soviet
intransigence that has kept those efforts from bearing fruit.
Meanwhile, an overwhelming November resolution of the United Nations
General Assembly on Afghanistan has again made clear that the world has not
and will not forget Afghanistan. And our response continues to make it
clear that Soviet use of force in pursuit of its international objectives
is incompatible with the notion of business-as-usual.