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This volume represents an early attempt at assessing the Long War,
now in its 14th year. Forged in the fires of the 9/11 attacks, the
war includes campaigns against al Qaeda, major conflicts in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and operations in the Horn of Africa, the Republic
of the Philippines, and globally, in the air and on the sea. The
authors herein treat only the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq,
the largest U.S. efforts. It is intended for future senior
officers, their advisors, and other national security
decisionmakers. By derivation, it is also a book for students in
joint professional military education courses, which will qualify
them to work in the field of strategy. While the book tends to
focus on strategic decisions and developments of land wars among
the people, it acknowledges that the status of the United States as
a great power and the strength of its ground forces depend in large
measure on the dominance of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force in
their respective domains.
This monograph aims to provide military leaders, civil servants,
diplomats, and students with the intellectual basis they need to
prepare for further study or for assignments in Afghanistan, a
nation that has been at war for 33 years. Officers in the Af-Pak
Hands Program may also find it a useful starting point, but their
intensive studies will quickly take them beyond the scope of this
work. Students or scholars may also find it a useful primer for
learning about Afghanistan. By analyzing the land and its people,
recapping Afghan history, and assessing the current situation, this
work hopes to set a foundation upon which leaders and scholars can
begin their preparation for more specific tasks. It also will
examine the range of choice for future U.S. policy toward
Afghanistan and give suggestions for future study. Much of the
outline of recent events will be familiar to many readers. Just 2
days before their 9/11 attack on the United States, al Qaeda
operatives posing as journalists succeeded in assassinating the
commander of Northern Alliance forces, Ahmed Shah Massoud, inside
his own headquarters in northern Afghanistan. This act was an al
Qaeda favor to its Taliban brothers, a reward for their past
support, and a down payment on the grief that was about to descend
on the Taliban from the United States and its allies. With the
heinous terrorist acts of 9/9 and 9/11, the Afghan and American
people became tied together in a common war against al Qaeda and
its fellow traveler, the Taliban.
"Understanding War in Afghanistan" aims to provide military
leaders, civil servants, diplomats, and students with the
intellectual basis that they need to begin to prepare for further
study of or an assignment in Afghanistan. This book analyzes the
land and its people, recaps Afghan history, and assesses the
current situation. It also examines the range of choices for future
U.S. policy toward Afghanistan.General David Petraeus praises
Understanding War in Afghanistan as "an outstanding primer for
soldiers and diplomats deploying for their first tour in the shadow
of the Hindu Kush; those with extensive time on the ground will
find the annotated bibliography full of excellent suggestions for
further study."
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