The essay aims to examine and discuss if the driving forces of the Soviet Union and Russia have changed in the 1979-1989 war in Afghanistan and in the Kosovo War of 1999. This is done by studying the literature describing the two wars. The empirical relevance of the two wars are key drivers. The method used is a qualitative text analysis. Those driving forces which are perceived as being key ones are then discussed from a balance of power perspective to discern any changes in the drivers. The balance of power theories together with related theories are used to explain what changes were observed.
The study concludes that when comparing the two wars the drivers changed. In Afghanistan the driving forces were mainly characteristic of the imperialism theory with some elements of the maintaining the status quo. In Kosovo the driving forces were mainly of a preserve the status quo theory character.
The conclusions are not general but only applicable to these specific cases. For the results to be used more generally the driving forces must be discussed from several more theoretical angles and made more universal.