U.S. War in Afghanistan: Causes, Outcomes, and Analysis
This paper reviews the historical and contemporary causes of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, tracing American intervention from the initial assault on Taliban positions through a decade of ongoing conflict. It analyzes the Bush administration's "War on Terror" rhetoric, the shifting objectives from counterterrorism to nation-building, and the complex diplomatic relationship with Pakistan. The paper also evaluates the use of drone warfare, the human costs borne by Afghan civilians, and the political failures of the Karzai government. Ultimately, it critiques both the positive accomplishments and the significant shortcomings of U.S. engagement, concluding that the mission's expanding goals exceeded what any outside power could realistically achieve.
- Introduction: Overview of U.S. entry into Afghanistan post-9/11
- How America Became Involved in Afghanistan: Initial military assault and shifting U.S. objectives
- The Ramifications and Analysis of Bush's War on Terror: Bush rhetoric framing war as moral and religious crusade
- Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Bush Administration's Crosshairs: Strained U.S.-Pakistan diplomacy and financial deals
- The War in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Ten Years Later: Drone warfare, suicide bombings, and governance failures
- Conclusion: Assessment that prolonged U.S. presence is unjustified
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What makes this paper effective
- Draws on a diverse range of sources — peer-reviewed journals, news reports, and academic critiques — to build a multi-perspective analysis of a complex geopolitical conflict.
- Balances coverage of military strategy, political rhetoric, diplomatic relations, and human costs, giving the paper genuine breadth without losing focus.
- Integrates direct quotations effectively, using them to support claims rather than substitute for original analysis.
- Annotated bibliography adds extra value by explaining each source's relevance and reliability.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective source synthesis: rather than reporting each source in isolation, the writer weaves together scholars such as Taheri, Chernus, Manfredi, and Mazhar to build a cumulative argument. Taheri's framework of initial versus expanded objectives, for instance, is reinforced by Manfredi's on-the-ground critique of nation-building failure, showing the student can construct a cohesive analytical narrative from multiple academic voices.
Structure breakdown
The paper moves logically from historical context (how the U.S. entered Afghanistan) to ideological context (Bush's rhetorical framing of the war), then to geopolitical context (U.S.-Pakistan relations), and finally to a contemporary assessment of outcomes including drone strikes, suicide bombings, and governance failures. This chronological-to-thematic structure allows readers to follow both the timeline of events and the evolving analytical argument. The annotated bibliography rounds out the paper as a research skills demonstration.
Introduction
After the terrorist group al-Qaeda attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, the American military was sent to Afghanistan to assault the Taliban and destroy their governing position. The Taliban became the target of the U.S. because they had allowed Osama bin Laden to use their country as a training ground for terrorist activities directed against the United States. However, the U.S. soon became mired in what appeared to be an unwinnable war against Taliban insurgents crossing the border from Pakistan. Moreover, militants inside Afghanistan who objected to the presence of foreign troops apparently joined with those insurgents and continued fighting American and NATO forces. This paper reviews the historical and contemporary causes of the war in Afghanistan, and critiques both the positive and negative outcomes of U.S. engagement there.
Works Cited
Associated Press. (2011). Suicide bombers kill worshippers in Afghanistan. Retrieved November 2011, from http://www.npr.com.
This article brought to light the ongoing violence in Afghanistan — specifically the continued use of suicide bombers, in this case killing fellow Muslims as they left a mosque following worship services. The incident underscored that the NATO and U.S. presence in Afghanistan could not prevent terrorists from striking wherever and whenever they chose.
Baktash, H., & Magnier, M. (2011). Suicide bombing in Kabul kills as many as 13 Americans. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 19, 2011, from http://www.latimes.com.
The thirteen Americans killed in Kabul on October 28 were riding in an armored military bus when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives. The reporters quoted a United Nations spokesperson who stated that violence in Afghanistan "is at its worst since the war started in 2001."
Chernus, I. (2004). George W. Bush's war on terrorism and sin. Political Theology, 5(4), 411–430.
This scholarly article examines in detail how George W. Bush began his presidency seeking to direct federal funds toward conservative Christian organizations, and how, after 9/11, he launched a very different kind of crusade. His "War on Terrorism" effectively framed America as the nation on God's side, casting any country harboring terrorists as evil.
Herold, M. W. (2002). A dossier on civilian victims of United States' aerial bombing of Afghanistan: A comprehensive accounting. Retrieved November 18, 2011, from http://cursor.org/stories/civilian_deaths.htm.
Though not peer-reviewed, Herold draws on reasonably reliable sources to document the number of Afghan civilians killed during America's initial bombing campaigns.
Manfredi, F. (2008). Rethinking U.S. policy in Afghanistan. World Policy Institute, 25(4), 23–30.
Manfredi's scholarly piece criticizes the war in Afghanistan, arguing that Afghan people viewed NATO and American troops as "an affront to the traditional spirit of independence." He characterizes the country as deeply corrupt and urges withdrawal.
Mazhar, M. S., Goraya, N. S., & Kataria, J. R. (2011). War against terrorism: Implications for Pakistan. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 3(3), 270–282.
This article is useful because it critiques the U.S. use of drone strikes — and the civilian casualties they produce — while also examining the strategy of paying Pakistan billions of dollars to pursue the Taliban on its own soil, a strategy the authors view as largely unsuccessful.
Roggio, B. (2011). U.S. drones kill 6 "militants" in al-Qaeda hub of Datta Khel. The Long War Journal. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.longwarjournal.org.
Roggio's report covers drone strikes against suspected militants in North Waziristan, Pakistan.
Taheri, A. (2009). Afghanistan. American Foreign Policy Interests, 31(6), 364–375.
Taheri provides specific and useful detail on how the U.S. became mired in Afghanistan. He argues that Bush had accomplished all initial goals by 2005 but, instead of leaving Afghanistan to the Afghans, chose to pursue nation-building — a mission that ultimately proved unachievable.
The Hindu. (2011). U.S. drones kill 20 in Pakistan. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from
Journalist Anita Joshua reports on an American drone strike in the tribal region of Pakistan.
Zakheim, D. S. (2011). What 9/11 has wrought. Middle East Quarterly, 18(4), 1–11.
Zakheim offers a detailed review of how the world changed after 9/11, including how the U.S. lifted sanctions on Pakistan once it needed Pakistani cooperation against the Taliban. The article provides an objective overview of how 9/11 reshaped American thinking about enemies, terrorism, and alliances.
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