Category: America & Afghanistan

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction Although later decision-making in the George W Bush Administration was conducted in secrecy and with little deliberation, the decision to intervene in Afghanistan, to a certain extent, was deliberate and transparent. The National Security Council (NSC) held a number of meetings between 11 September to the day the US…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction ‘Fear was widespread, not just in the days immediately after the [9/11] attacks, but throughout the fall of 2001. Most Americans said they were…worried about another attack.’ Pew Research Center[1] Although later decision-making in the George W Bush Administration was conducted in secrecy and without much deliberation, the decision to…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction This article focuses on the role of domestic factors as a causal factor in the making of the George W Bush Administration’s Global War on Terror (GWOT) strategy that started in Afghanistan.  As such, the impact of the American public, American media and Congress on policymaking for the GWOT…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction This short essay first explains what President George W Bush’s Freedom Agenda is. It then explains what impact it had on the Bush Administration’s policymaking towards the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. The essay ends with a conclusion. What is the Freedom Agenda? Professor Shane J. Ralston offers a good…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction This essay considers how the belief systems and images (beliefs and past experiences) of President George W Bush and his close advisors on how to deal with terrorism/states sponsoring terrorism shaped the Global War on Terror (GWOT) strategy.   The belief systems of Bush and his close advisors ‘…there…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction This article focuses on how President George W Bush acted upon his ‘gut feelings’ and ‘instincts’ and consequently made up doctrines without fully considering their vast consequences. Those doctrines contributed significantly to the making of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) strategy, with Afghanistan being its first station and…

  By Dr Sharifullah Dorani*     Introduction In the literature on US involvement in Afghanistan, little attention is given to the role of neoconservatism in the George W Bush Administration. Its role in relation to pushing the US into the Iraq War, however, is covered in great detail. As I explain in my…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction This article essentially offers a literature review of the Afghanistan War during the Barack Obama Administration by focusing on public opinion and policy debate on the Afghanistan War. It mainly covers the periods for the decision to ‘surge’ American troops in Afghanistan in 2009 and the decision to ‘draw…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction This article essentially offers a literature review of the Afghanistan War during the George W Bush Administration by focusing on public opinion and policy debate on the Afghanistan War from late 2001 to 2008. There were several turning points, or phases, in US Afghan policy. The first two phases…

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani*   Introduction There is disagreement on the United States (US) motive for its intervention in Afghanistan. This essay[1]  first explains what these, often conflicting views, are. It then states what views the author has found more persuasive. The essay ends with some concluding remarks.     The various conflicting views…