The 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and just war theory

¶ … conflict in Afghanistan

Who are the combatants?

The conflict began when the U.S. And Great Britain invaded Afghanistan in 2001, after the attacks upon the World Trade Towers by the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization.

What are the reasons for the conflict?

The invasion was undertaken with the mission of making the U.S. safe by destroying the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization responsible for the attacks of 9/11. The Taliban government was a supporter of Al-Qaeda and allowed the organization to use the nation as its base (Afghanistan-profile, 2010, ADH-Geneva). The mission entitled Operation Enduring Freedom also resolved to unseat the Taliban government and bring a democratic regime to power, thus creating a more humane as well as a more stable region.

Q3. How long the conflict has been going on?

The conflict continues to this day. It began in 2001, officially, although some trace the origins of the conflict between the West and Afghanistan back to the Soviet invasion in 1979. Then, the U.S. supported the Taliban because the fundamentalist Muslim group was resisting Soviet control.

Q4. Did one country invade another?

The U.S. invaded Afghanistan soil. However, the United States was attacked internally, in the form of a terrorist onslaught.

Q5. Was it a just war?

Just war theory holds that for a war to be just, it must have a just or fair cause, it must be waged with a morally appropriate cause, be approved through the acceptable constitutional means by the governing authority, be the 'last resort' (no peaceful action could resolve the matter), have a probability of success to justify the loss of life, and also be proportional in nature to the harms that were done (Orend 2011). In this instance, given the crimes perpetrated by 9/11, the U.S. action seems morally justified in terms of its cause and proportionality in the initial phases. With the murder of Osama bin Laden, it remains to be seen how much of a threat terrorist organizations based in the region will be in the ensuing months and years. However, the probability of the mission's success has been questioned at times, given the corruption of the Afghani forces and its inability to effectively defend the nation.

Q6. Has there been outside influence by other countries or the UN?

NATO has been a leading force in the fight, supporting Enduring Freedom with a coalition of foreign troops (Afghanistan-profile, 2010, ADH-Geneva)

2,443 U.S. fatalities and 10468 wounded (iCasualties, 2011, OEF)

Q10. Should the U.S.A. play a role with respect to global peacekeeping and has the U.S.A. had a negative or positive effect?

In the world as a whole, there is little question that the U.S. had a positive effect, particularly when acting as a part of joint coalitions, such as with the UN and NATO. In the past, there was strident criticism that the U.S. did not intervene soon enough in conflicts in Rwanda, the Balkans, and other areas of the world where tensions were high and human rights abuses were being committed.

Q11. What are the chances of peace?

The current plan is for the U.S. To start handing over control to Afghan security forces in July 2011. However, despite the death of its leader, Al-Qaeda still remains a force in the region. Corruption is rife within the U.S.-backed government, and attrition is high in the Afghani army. The chances for peace may be brighter today than before, but questions still remain about the stability of the current government. "One year ago, for example, the Pentagon report found that there was significant Taliban presence in 58 of Afghanistan's 121 districts, of which seven had the majority of residents 'supporting' the Taliban, and 25 had populations 'sympathetic to the Taliban'" (Mulrine 2009).