Paper 1: For Want Of a Nail

This paper is the first in a series that investigates a core set of assumptions that underpinned America’s twenty-year engagement in Afghanistan. This paper provides an overview of the assumptions that led to military intervention in Afghanistan, particularly the right and necessity to intervene militarily to overthrow the Taliban and support the Northern Alliance in 2001. This paper was prepared for the first Afghanistan Assumptions Workshop with our Expert Steering Committee on February 10, 2023.
Annotated Bibliography for Paper 1

Paper 2: Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory: Why the U.S. Got Stuck in Afghanistan

This second paper examines the conflation of the Taliban government with Al-Qaeda by the Bush administration starting in 2001 and how that thinking affected the war’s aims. Additionally, this paper seeks to examine why the Taliban were excluded from the post-war government and how that decision came to be. This paper was prepared for the second Afghanistan Assumptions Workshop with our Expert Steering Committee on June 7, 2023.
Annotated Bibliography for Paper 2

Paper 3: Failure to Deliver: The US State-Building Mission in Afghanistan

This third paper examines the unique challenges of state building in Afghanistan from 2003-2008. Additionally, this paper examines how the United States’ counterterrorism-first approach undermined the legitimacy of the Afghanistan government. This paper was prepared with the help of a Working Group meeting with Afghanistan experts on Oct 26, 2023 and with our Expert Steering Committee on April 4, 2024.
Annotated Bibliography for Paper 3