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 definition of Bush’s specific version of the Freedom Agenda:
‘Freedom is universally valued, and the United States is everywhere perceived as freedom’s protector and purveyor. So, the mission of the Freedom Agenda is to guard existing freedoms as well as spread the democratic political system to those countries lacking comparable freedoms.’[1]
Bush himself claimed that, on a personal level, the Freedom Agenda for the President was both idealistic and realistic.[2] Realistic, since it was the most practical way to protect America in the long run.[3] Idealistic, because Bush saw the spreading of liberty and democracy as a good deed that would remove fear and terror by oppressive regimes. The latter conviction was also based on his strong belief in Christianity. For him, the US (good) acted against terrorists (evil) to defend freedom (a practical gift from God) and release oppressed people from their cruel regimes.[4]
His popularity among Americans in the first days after 9/11 seemed to have made him believe that he (and America in general) would be perceived as good, as a hero, by those who were oppressed, and this emboldened his resolve further in the declaration of the Global War on Terror (GWOT).[5]
The impact of the Freedom Agenda on policymaking for the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars
In his Congress Speech to the Joint Houses on 20 September, 2001, Bush said:
‘Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our time, and the great hope of every time now depends on us…’[6]
Listening to this speech, one might assume that the Freedom Agenda played a significant role in policymaking regarding the decision to intervene in Afghanistan. But it did not seem to be the case. To start with, Bush was not a liberal internationalist. During his presidential debates, prior to his election, he did not talk about liberating women in Afghanistan, nor did he once mention ousting the Taliban regime or going after Al Qaeda: most of his campaign focus was on domestic policies, especially those relating to education, tax, and national defence.[7]
There are some, including National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, who attributed Bush’s beliefs in the liberty agenda as one of the main variables for the GWOT.[8] But that did not seem to be on Bush’s or other advisors’ minds when they debated the Afghan strategy and the overthrow of the Taliban regime. During the research for my PhD thesis and book,[9] I only once came across a policymaker (Rice) mentioning the freeing of Afghan women as a good cause to end the Taliban regime[10] during the decision-making for the decision to intervene in Afghanistan.
However, Bush and his advisors were aware that, after the defeat of the ‘repressive’ Taliban regime, a free society was likely to emerge in Afghanistan.[11] So the Freedom Agenda, especially liberating Afghan women, was incidental to the main US objective: to dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban (a part of global terrorism) in order to maintain security in America. One can therefore ascertain that Bush and his war cabinet were not interested in Afghanistan because Afghan women were ‘repressed’. Otherwise, Afghan women have been ‘repressed’ since the Mujahedeen victory in 1992, and, even though it had a moral duty after the Soviet withdrawal, the United States of America had not only not helped them, but left Afghanistan to its own fate, and into the hands of its neighbours, who directly supported different factions of the Mujahedeen to fight between each other, which resulted in the killing of thousands of its nationals.[12] Nevertheless, the incidental after-effect of the overthrow of the Taliban regime was an excellent outcome for the Bush Administration’s Afghan strategy, as it attracted broader support for the Afghan invasion.
But the Freedom Agenda became a central part of US objectives when the US could not find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the main justification the administration had used to invade Iraq.[13] It is then that the Freedom Agenda became known as one of the Bush Doctrines,[14] and played a central role in the Bush Administration’s foreign policy. Indeed, in his Second Inaugural Address in January 2005, Bush declared:
‘It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.’[15]
The Bush Administration, especially in his second term, doubled funding for ‘democracy, governance, and human-rights programs globally’.[16] The President himself invested a great deal of presidential time in meeting with dissidents and human rights activists from around the world, including China, Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. Reportedly, no American president before or since has met with as many international dissidents and human rights activists.[17] Telegraphing US support to those dissidents and activists can be a clear indication that the President wanted to promote liberty and democracy worldwide.[18]
Conclusion
President Bush’s Freedom Agenda required the US to promote freedom and democracy and protect human rights around the world. Bush’s belief system to view the US as the saviour of those who were oppressed, or seeing the GWOT as good versus evil was central to his Freedom Agenda.
However, the Freedom Agenda was seemingly a weak causal factor in the making of GWOT, which started in Afghanistan.
The Freedom Agenda played a stronger role in America’s foreign policy in the second term of the Bush Administration, especially after it became evident that the weapons of mass destruction might never be found in Iraq.
All in all, President Bush dedicated a good amount of his presidential time to promoting democracy and human rights worldwide, especially in countries with repressive regimes.
References
Bush, George W, Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, 1 February, 2001,
<http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
Bush, George W, ‘Address to the Joint Session of the 107th Congress, White House, 20 September, 2001, <https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html>
Bush, George W, Address to the United Nations General Assembly, 10 November, 2001, <http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
Bush, George W, West Point Commencement, 1 June, 2002, <http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
Bush, George W, Address to the Republican National Convention, 2 September, 2004, <http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
Bush, George, The Second Inaugural Address, 20 January, 2005, <http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
Bush, George W. 2010. Decision points. New York: Crown publishers.
Dobriansky, Paula J., ‘Democracy Promotion’, Foreign Affairs, May/June, 2003, <http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/58981/paula-j-dobriansky-and-thomas-carothers/democracy-promotion>
Dorani, Sharifullah.2019. America in Afghanistan: Foreign Policy and Decision Making Approaches from Bush to Obama to Trump. I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury Publishing House.
Dorani, Sharifullah.2022. The Lone Leopard. S&M Publishing House, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lone-Leopard-Sharifullah-Dorani/dp/1739606922.
Dorani, Sharifullah, ‘THE BUSH DOCTRINES AND THE GWOT IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ: the role of ‘gut feelings’ and ‘instincts’ in the making of those doctrines’, CEPSAF.com, 21 March 2025, <https://cepsaf.com/the-bush-doctrines-and-the-gwot-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-the-role-of-gut-feelings-and-instincts-in-the-making-of-those-doctrines/>
Feaver, Peter and William Inboden, ‘What the Freedom Agenda Can Still Teach Us’, Journal of Democracy, May 2023, <https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/what-the-freedom-agenda-can-still-teach-us/>
Leffler, Melvyn P., ‘September 11 in Retrospect; George W. Bush’s Grand Strategy, Reconsidered’, Foreign Affairs, September/October, 2011, <http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/68201/melvyn-pleffler/september-11-in-retrospect>
‘Post-ABC poll: terrorist Attacks’, September 13, 2001, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/vault/stories/data091401.htm> ,also <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/vault/vault.htm>
Ralston, Shane J., ‘On the “Freedom Agenda” and the George W. Bush Legacy: A Philosophical Inquiry’, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009, pp 137-151, <https://philpapers.org/archive/RALOTF.pdf>
Rice, Condoleezza. 2011. No higher honour: a memoir of my years in Washington. London: Simon & Schuster.
Tanner, Stephen. 2009. Afghanistan: a military history from Alexander the Great to the war against the Taliban. Philadelphia: Da Capo.
[1] Ralston, Shane J., ‘On the “Freedom Agenda” and the George W. Bush Legacy: A Philosophical Inquiry’, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009, pp 137-151, <https://philpapers.org/archive/RALOTF.pdf>
[2] Bush, George W. 2010. Decision points. New York: Crown publishers, pp. 396-397.
[3] Bush, George W. 2010. Decision points. New York: Crown publishers, pp. 396-397.
[4] Tanner, Stephen. 2009. Afghanistan: a military history from Alexander the Great to the war against the Taliban. Philadelphia: Da Capo, pp. 291-94; Bush, George W, ‘Address to the Joint Session of the 107th Congress, White House, 20 September, 2001, <https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html>; Leffler, Melvyn P., ‘September 11 in Retrospect; George W. Bush’s Grand Strategy, Reconsidered’, Foreign Affairs, September/October, 2011, <http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/68201/melvyn-pleffler/september-11-in-retrospect>; Bush, George W, Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, 1 February, 2001, <http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>; Bush, George W, West Point Commencement, 1 June, 2002, <http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
[5] ‘Post-ABC poll: terrorist Attacks’, September 13, 2001, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/vault/stories/data091401.htm>, also <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/vault/vault.htm>
[6] Bush, George W. (2001). Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People. [The White House]. <http://georgewbushwhite.accessed,archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html>; Bush, George W, Address to the United Nations General Assembly, 10 November, 2001,
<http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
[7] Bush, George W. (2001). Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People. [The White House]. <http://georgewbushwhite.accessed,archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html>; Bush, George W, Address to the United Nations General Assembly, 10 November, 2001,
<http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
[8]Dobriansky, Paula J., ‘Democracy Promotion’, Foreign Affairs, May/June, 2003, <http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/58981/paula-j-dobriansky-and-thomas-carothers/democracy-promotion>; Bush, George W. (2001). Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People. [The White House]. <http://georgewbushwhite.accessed,archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html>; Bush, George W, Address to the United Nations General Assembly, 10 November, 2001,
<http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
[9] Dorani, Sharifullah. 2019. America in Afghanistan: Foreign Policy and Decision Making Approaches from Bush to Obama to Trump. I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury Publishing House, chapters 1-5.
[10] Rice, Condoleezza. 2011. No higher honour: a memoir of my years in Washington. London: Simon & Schuster, p. 91.
[11] Bush, George W, Address to the Nation on Operations in Afghanistan, 7 October, 2001,
<http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
[12]Dorani, Sharifullah. 2022. The Lone Leopard. S&M Publishing House, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lone-Leopard-Sharifullah-Dorani/dp/1739606922.
[13] Feaver, Peter and William Inboden, ‘What the Freedom Agenda Can Still Teach Us’, Journal of Democracy, May 2023, <https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/what-the-freedom-agenda-can-still-teach-us/>; Leffler, Melvyn P., ‘September 11 in Retrospect; George W. Bush’s Grand Strategy, Reconsidered’, Foreign Affairs, September/October, 2011, <http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/68201/melvyn-pleffler/september-11-in-retrospect>; Bush, George W, Address to the Republican National Convention, 2 September, 2004,<http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>;Bush, George, The Second Inaugural Address, 20 January, 2005,
<http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
[14] For a detailed analysis of the Bush Doctrines, see Dorani, Sharifullah, ‘THE BUSH DOCTRINES AND THE GWOT IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ: the role of ‘gut feelings’ and ‘instincts’ in the making of those doctrines’, CEPSAF, 21 March 2025, <https://cepsaf.com/the-bush-doctrines-and-the-gwot-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-the-role-of-gut-feelings-and-instincts-in-the-making-of-those-doctrines/>
[15] Bush, George, The Second Inaugural Address, 20 January, 2005,
<http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Selected_Speeches_George_W_Bush.pdf>
[16] Feaver, Peter and William Inboden, ‘What the Freedom Agenda Can Still Teach Us’, Journal of Democracy, May 2023, <https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/what-the-freedom-agenda-can-still-teach-us/>
[17] Feaver, Peter and William Inboden, ‘What the Freedom Agenda Can Still Teach Us’, Journal of Democracy, May 2023, <https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/what-the-freedom-agenda-can-still-teach-us/>
[18] Feaver, Peter and William Inboden, ‘What the Freedom Agenda Can Still Teach Us’, Journal of Democracy, May 2023, <https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/what-the-freedom-agenda-can-still-teach-us/>
*Dr Sharifullah has a PhD from Durham University in the UK on America’s Afghanistan War. He has authored several articles and two acclaimed books: The Lone Leopard, a novel set in Afghanistan, and America in Afghanistan, published by Bloomsbury Publishing. Sharifullah is the founder of CEPSAF and the South Asia and Middle Eastern Editor at CESRAN International.
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