Question: how do you explain the successes and failures of the soviet union and russia in these two wars

title: Foreign relations of the Soviet Union
text: Many Western analysts have examined the way Soviet behavior in various regions and countries supported the general goals of Soviet foreign policy . These analysts have assessed Soviet behavior in the 1970s and 1980s as placing primary emphasis on relations with the United States , which was considered the foremost threat to the national security of the Soviet Union . Second priority was given to relations with Eastern Europe ( the other members of the Warsaw Pact ) and Western Europe ( the European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -- NATO ) . Third priority was given to the littoral or propinquitous states along the southern border of the Soviet Union : Turkey ( a NATO member ) , Iran , Afghanistan , People 's Republic of China , Mongolia , the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea ( North Korea ) , and Japan . Regions near to , but not bordering , the Soviet Union were assigned fourth priority . These included the Middle East and North Africa , South Asia , and Southeast Asia . Last priority was given to sub-Saharan Africa , the islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans , and Latin America , except insofar as these regions either provided opportunities for strategic basing or bordered on strategic naval straits or sea lanes . In general , Soviet foreign policy was most concerned with superpower relations ( and , more broadly , relations between the members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact ) , but during the 1980s Soviet leaders pursued improved relations with all regions of the world as part of its foreign policy objectives .