CEPSAF

The second marriage proposal goes horribly wrong – Chapter 31

17 October 2025

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CEPSAF

Chapter Thirty-One In the bright early morning of the following day, on the way to school, Najiba, who had thin lips and a headscarf covering her forehead down to the bridge of her nose, popped in to explain the plan. We thanked Najiba for her invaluable help. She did this because Khudailoved those who…
“We looked for a wife from a traditional family” – Chapter 30

17 October 2025

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CEPSAF

Chapter Thirty I put a mantu with a piece of naan in my mouth and chewed on them. Shujah praised me for following the habitual practiceof the Prophet, peace be upon him. I told him that I hadn’t abandoned my traditions, including using my hands to eat, thanking Frishta in my heart for her…
Bush vs Obama: Decision-Making Styles and Groupthink

17 October 2025

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CEPSAF

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States embarked on a ‘Global War on Terror’ (GWOT) that would define a new era of American foreign policy. This period offers a compelling case study in presidential decision-making and its impact on international affairs. While both Presidents George…
Bureaucratic Politics and Belief Systems in the Bush Administration

17 October 2025

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CEPSAF

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction The presidential candidate, George W. Bush, in 2000, was not someone who knew about the outside world, nor did he seem to be interested in it. He had barely travelled outside America, did not read about other countries, and knew no foreign leaders. During his election campaign, he did…
The Policy Assumptions Behind Bush’s War on Terror

17 October 2025

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CEPSAF

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* ‘[T]he nature of the response [to 9/11] was also shaped by some deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs within the administration about foreign policy and the appropriate role of the military.’[1] Introduction The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks prompted the George W Bush administration to initiate the Global War on Terror…
How the 2002 NSC Defined America’s Afghan Strategy

17 October 2025

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CEPSAF

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* Introduction After the Taliban was defeated and al Qaeda was on the run, the National Security Council (NSC) of the George W Bush Administration held a meeting in February 2002 in the White House Situation Room to discuss their Afghan strategy. The meeting resulted in the making of the counterterrorism…
Iraq War’s Impact on Afghanistan and Bush War Cabinet

17 October 2025

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CEPSAF

By Dr Sharifullah Dorani* ‘I have a real concern that given our preoccupation in Iraq, we’ve not devoted sufficient troops and funding to Afghanistan to ensure success in that mission….Afghanistan has been the forgotten war.’ President George W Bush[1] Introduction As studied in my other article,[2] the Global War on Terror (GWOT), which the…
“Kabul remained a sacrificial lamb…awaiting another Taliban takeover” – Chapter 29

4 September 2025

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CEPSAF

Chapter Twenty-Nine It’d been half an hour since we’d departed from Qandigul’s, and I’d heard nothing except discussions on the horror of the random bullets and yesterday’s fedayi attack, coupled with Mour blaming me for having thrown ourselves into a ‘burning fire’ and Nazigul’s gratefulness to Khudai that Shujah and I were safe and…