"Showing how an attempt to support Afghan communists' rule ended up doing the exact opposite, this book is a valuable contribution to our knowledge about the USSR in the 1980s as well as about Afghanistan, its direct neighbor to the south in Central Asia at the same time." --Martin Blackwell, Visiting Professor of History, Stetson University "Well written, strongly researched, and clearly organized, Smoke, Mirrors, and Memories provides a new perspective on the history of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Jeffrey W. Jones makes a significant contribution in his emphasis on culture and public opinion. The book also speaks to critical political questions concerning the war's role in the progressive disillusionment of the Soviet population and in the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union. Extremely timely, the book speaks more broadly to all those interested in war, propaganda, anti-colonial movements, and the collapse of socialism." --Wendy Z. Goldman, Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of History, Carnegie Mellon University "Although the reminiscences of Soviet soldiers who fought in Afghanistan contain little unknown to historians, Jones enhances their stories with materials from sources less used in previous works.

"--Yaacov Ro'i, Russian Review.