WI: The Soviets leave Afghanistan?

The Soviet war in Afghanistan 1979-89 was a horrible intervention which cost the Russians enormous financially.

How can you make the Soviet leadership realize what a fruitless and costly war this would be and withdraw from Afghanistan much earlier?

And would this delay the breakup of the Eastern Bloc?
 
Get different soviet leaders, most likely. But you unlikely get anyone less hardline then Gorbachiev. It is possible for him to be appoined general-secretary earlier though.

Also this war was unsuccessful as to initial goals, but not really fruitless. Well, in the long run it was, but at the time some positive results from USSR's point of veiw were achieved. Drug traffic was checked and friendly regime quite firmly established (it was not toppled until years later and after complete abandonment by Russia).

Earlier withdrawal from Afghanistan also possible if military campain was more successful. Maybe US support to anti-soviet forces was weaker. Less or no advisers and arms help. But it may only provoke soviet leaders to stay mor firmly there instead of withdrawing.

Another scenario, better combined with earlier Gorbachiev rise to power -for soviet forces to suffer really nasty defeats with collapsing its afghan allies. Then it may provoke earlier collapse of Eastern Block or at least some disturbances there.
 
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