The War in Afghanistan
War is never a smooth or an effortless undertaking, even for a formidable country like the United States. There are no ways whatsoever of assessing or quantifying the levels of gain or loss that are associates with war prior to reaching the decision on whether to go to war or not. Events that are not controllable often govern the wars, so there is no clear map as to how people should react during a war. The September 11 attacks on the United States affected not just American citizens, but the international community as a whole. In fact, the effects of the war has continued to be a feature for over a decade. Many people struggle to understand why the war against this act of terror has taken so long (Griffiths, 2007). In fact, it has been so long that people do not even know why U.S troops are still in Afghanistan. The September attack affected the way of life and undermined the freedoms of the American people. Premeditated series of attacks on American soils saw thousands of American lives lost. The victims comprised of parents and hardworking citizens, friends that were either in their offices or in airplanes. The people whose lives ended and families that lost loved ones did not deserve to suffer through inhumane terrorist attacks. George Bush, who was president at the time made it extremely clear that retribution was awaiting the persons responsible for the attacks. It just so happens that Afghanistan harbored the group of people responsible for the said attacks. It was very difficult for the public to decide if waging a war on people was the right move. Some people were of the same opinion as President Bush, but some saw the act of declaring war as too extreme. There are people that did not have a clue as to where Afghanistan was or whom the Taliban was. Whichever side one took, no one was of the opinion that it would take more than a decade. Overtime, the war attracted efforts from other countries such as Britain. The efforts spanned from identifying the Taliban group to identifying and capturing the Taliban leader, Osama bin Laden and supporters of the Al-Qaeda. Operations continued to expand allowing America and its allies to instigate counterinsurgency missions by the military against those that attempted to block their missions. With the election of president Obama into power, he made promises to families of troops and to the Americans that the troops would return home at the end of the year twenty-eleven. He managed to fulfill this promise as only a few troops remained carrying on the war against terror. Most of the other countries also followed suit and withdrew their troops, some countries such as Canada withdrew entirely. Obama’s re-election came with further promises of extraction of all American troops by the year twenty fourteen. It is not clear how solid or realistic this plan is. One thing remains abundantly clear that the war on terror was extremely crucial not just to serve as a solace for families that lost family members, but for the sake of securing America from further terrorist attacks. In every sense of the word, the troops can never entirely return home. The war against terror must continue until the American government abates terror entirely or until it has control over the insurgents responsible for inhumane acts.
Historical background of the conflict
Up until the year 1979, the United States and regions around the Persian Gulf, specifically Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan had established and friendly relations amongst each other. In fact, Afghanistan was a valued ally of the United States because of the export and import benefits that the two countries enjoyed. America had valued relations with the areas around the gulf because of the ports in the gulf and the Indian Ocean. A shah from Iran was particularly helpful in aiding the ties between the countries in the gulf region. The shah was also responsible for protecting military bases and areas of intelligence in which the American government expressed interest. This went a long way in allowing the American government to keep in check the large supplies of oil, but the biggest advantage of receiving the Shah’s help was that the Americans were able to observe soviet influences on the area. In exchange, the shah received benefits in terms of armed assistance. The situation remained under control for a while, but things changed when the Shah could no longer be of help to the American government. Soviet influence was a thing of worry at the time as it was spreading fast across the international system. The American government worked exceptionally hard to discourage spread, however, when the soviet methodology seeped into Afghanistan, the American government felt agitated bearing in mind that USSR had violated the Warsaw pact. It became a mission to reprove the soviets for the infraction of the pact. Resistance groups referred to as the ‘mujahedeen’ arose to combat the efforts of the Soviet Union and all their supporters in attacking Afghanistan. Since the American government and the Mujahedeen were on the same side, the American government undertook all the necessary precautions to aid the mujahedeen in through various agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (Lefler, 2003).
In 1989, the forces from USSR backed away from Afghanistan allowing the Mujahedeen to take on control of the afghan area that originally belonged to soviet insurgents, around the year 1992. The mujahedeen attempted to rule and even created a system of presidency. In 1994, another movement began to make headlines on account that it apprehended the southern city of Kandahar. The Taliban movement continued to seize more cities and the more it took control of Afghanistan, the more resistance it received. Resistance from the people was due to the adverse effects that the movement had on its people. The Taliban caused deaths of millions of innocent Afghanis, and it dislocated others more. The Taliban movement finally lost control in 2001, amidst much resistance from its followers, but it continued to instill fear in many residences. The illegal sect finally left from the city of Kabul into south of Kandahar. There are rumors that several leaders of the Al-Qaeda fled together. Key international leaders and representatives converged at a conference in Bonn, Germany. The United Nations coined by the conference to decide the future of Afghanistan without control of the Taliban movement. It is no surprise that American representatives were vocal regarding the issue, maybe this was a factor on the September 11 attacks (Holbrooke, 2008). Eventually, some semblance of normalcy returned in Afghanistan post the Taliban phase, but it was amidst many challenges, both economically and politically. There was also plenty of resistance from Al-Qaeda and Taliban even in their hiding. The post Taliban era in Afghanistan had managed to push the terrorist groups into hiding, but this only made their anger and undeserved attacks more personal. The American government had shown concern over the Taliban movement like most countries in the international system, but it was not until the September 11 bombing on America that it shifted its focus, and not in any positive matter. The United Nations charter advocates for resolution of conflicts in a peaceful manner before declaring war on any signatory nation. The United States in true superpower form provided Afghanistan and all the insurgents’ opportunities to come forward and be penitent. After a lot of investigations, it became apparent that the Taliban movement had a massive stake in funding and protecting the Al Qaeda. Further investigations showed that the Taliban had provided military training for Al Qaeda. It is pertinent to note that the American government had initially provided the Taliban with the chance to hand over the peoples and the movement that had been in charge of bombing the American towers. It was only upon their refusal that the American government declared war on Afghanistan. Aside from handing over the insurgents, the illegal Taliban movement was to hand over all people of foreign origin to their governments, including all kidnapped Americans at the time and those forcefully imprisoned. The American government also warned the Taliban against harming diplomats, foreign workers, journalists and reporters. The Taliban declined to pin point the Al-Qaeda bases and training areas thereby aggregating the American government further. Part of the reasons that the Taliban assisted the Al-Qaeda in bombing the United States was due to the participation of the American government in the process of liberating Afghanistan from the Taliban in 2001(Lefler, 2003). At some point, the Taliban had agreed to put Osama bin Laden through trial using their legal system on the basis that the United States government would not interfere. However, the government turned down this proposal as the Taliban movement also proposed that the American government turn over their evidence against the Al-Qaeda leader. There was no possible way for the United States to allow an illegal movement to put another illegal movement through trial, especially because the two groups had prior associations with each other.
In the beginning, the Central Intelligence Agency played a leading role in fighting opposition from the Afghanistan assemblage. The American government also relied heavily on the operation of the Special Forces facilitated by technological advancements such as improved military weapons and highly developed aircraft carriers. October 7, 2001 saw the home of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar bombed in Kandahar. This saw the confirmation of attacks that were to last for several years against the illegal Afghani movements. Several countries began to back up the United States in their fight against terror, including the United Kingdom. The United States realized that not all citizens of Afghanistan participated in terror activities. In fact, most citizens not associated with the Taliban or Al-Qaida movement were displeased with their terrorist activities. The American government provided food and medicine to innocent women and children. The al Qaeda leader communicated with the American government on several occasions throughout the use of publicly broadcasted video tapes. In many of the videos, Osama bin Laden threatened the United States with further attacks if it did not cease its attacks on Afghanistan and his movement. The war on terror began with a series of attacks on suspected al Qaeda bases and elimination of top al Qaeda leaders. In the initial phases of the war, there was not a lot of military presence on the ground. However, the American government received intelligence from military officers on the ground. This saw rebels from al Qaeda begin to panic and take over strongholds that were initially in the Taliban stronghold. After a series of takeovers by the American government, Kandahar, the area that had the most number of uprisings from the Taliban and al Qaeda movement was taken down. This left the insurgents with no option, but to over across the border into Pakistan. The American government managed to keep the insurgents under control up until the period between 2002 and 2003 (Holbrooke, 2008). The Taliban began to compound on the resources they still had and began recruitment of new members for preparation of fresh attacks against the United States government and its supporters. This saw several foreigners, Afghani police officers and foreign soldiers attacked in random raids conducted by select terror groups. This forced the American troops to up the ante, which saw the curbing down of such attacks on the innocent locals. Throughout this period, supporters and allies of the United States continued to increase the number of troops in the hope that the war would end sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, the war spilled into countries such as Pakistan (Lefler, 2003). Countries that associated with the United States such as the United Kingdom also experienced bombings and terror attacks in their own countries, a situation that neither of the allies anticipated in the beginning.
To hasten the war, president Barrack Obama increased the number of troops into Afghanistan, amidst speculations of the president’s refusal to entertain negotiations from the Taliban. Many American civilians and veterans acted in protest of the increase in troops as they viewed this as a continuation of the Vietnam War. The effects would be worse that those experienced during the Johnson administration considering that the advancements in technology would mean severe effects in terms of lives lost and the devastation in all sectors of the countries involved. In the year 2010, America and its allies attempted to initiate talk between the locals in a bid to discover ways through which corporation could lead to the provision of intelligence as to the location of rebels. This was extremely difficult especially because the locals had to live with the threat of disturbances and harassment from al Qaeda extremists. The most significant high of the entire war process, however, came in 2 May 2011 in an operation that saw the capture of al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin laden. This capture realized the withdrawal of the first number of troops from Afghanistan on the promise of more over time. Other countries that participated in the war including NATO countries also reduced the number of troops significantly. Such countries included Norway, Belgium, France and Canada. As of November 2012, most countries in NATO and agreed to withdraw their troops entirely by the year 2014. The effects of the war over the years have piled up to create situations of mistrust among the American citizens and frustrations among all the countries involved in the war, especially innocent men, children and women Afghanistan and consequently Pakistan. However, before exploration of the various effects that this war had on civilians, it is crucial to explore the theories and the various phenomena that ensured the continuation of the war for such long periods.
Theories affiliated with the duration of the war in Afghanistan.
There are theories that provide an analytical perspective as to the duration of war, or even the reasons for declaration of the war in the first place. The war on terror in the Middle East was the first experience in the United States military. Some perspectives on the table include realism, liberalism, elite influences and idiosyncratic and social psychological differences. The theories also provide a clear understanding into some of the effects of the war on everyone involved. Realism is a formidable theory when it comes to understanding perspectives related to war. According to most realists, war was an inevitable prospect in any democratic and advanced society. It is a recurrent aspect that is unavoidable. For a long while, it was the only theory used to explain effects and causes of war up until other scholars came up with theories that were more liberal. Liberal theories acted in the exact opposite as the realistic ones as they opposed the inevitability of war and advocated for interdependence between states in a peaceful manner to prevent extreme war like situations. The cold war era facilitated the development of the realistic theory. The cold war served as a major factor for the creation of mujahidin and Taliban movement that eventually contributed to the advancement of the war on terror. The split of the international system into communist unions and capitalistic ideologies meant that there would be an imminent rift in terms of political, economic and social undertakings. Both ideologies involved themselves in intense struggles for power such that if the two ideologies refused to come to an amicable agreement, there would be looming war over time. Initially, the cold war implied an amicable approach to capitalistic and socialist dogmas on face value (Weber, 2005). This meant that the countries with the different ideologies were not willing to enter into war or fights with one another, but at the same time, these countries had undertaken all the necessary steps in preparation for a war that could or could not happen. Some of the preparations or steps that these countries undertook include spreading of half-truths and propaganda, diplomatic manipulation especially of the countries in the third world and developing countries and amassment of weapons. The cold war ended in 1989, just about the same period in which the troubles of the mujahedeen and the Taliban began in Afghanistan. Despite its end, the cold war and the theory of realism continued to influence political processes then and even now. The United States at the time had emerged as a super power, and it controlled the international system in every shape and way. It did not come as a surprise when the United States received massive backing in its war on terror not only because the war was justified, but also because the United States was a superpower. The war in Afghanistan seems unending. In fact, some people believe that the troops will not be withdrawn even after 2014. The networks associated with terrorist activities seem difficult to brake and control regardless of how much the United States retains its troops in Afghanistan. The fact that the United States is a superpower means that there are countries that want to see it brought down, and that there are countries based on advantages received that would like to see America retain its power. It is a system full of allies and enemies, and such a framework referred to as a state of anarchy. Anarchy provides for the survival of the fittest and America, based on its resources, its allies and power, has been able to continue the war on terror in Middle Eastern countries. Overtime power in the international system could change, but until then, the United States will continue to maintain and even garner more support in the fight against terror. Challenging the United States is inconceivable and those that dare often emerge on the losing side. Even after all the time that the United States has spent in middle eastern countries, its military is remains a force with which to reckon. The US cannot leave anything to chance even when it seems that the threat of terror attacks is not as serious as before, it must continue to keep troops in Afghanistan lest it appears weak and gives the terrorists an upper hand. In a realist logic, the united states have continued to wage war on al Qaeda and Taliban as a means of demonstrating its power to the rest of the international system. In this case, President Bush’s’ perspective can be associated with the rational choice module where war was also necessary for the sake of national safety.
Liberal theories on the hand, emphasizes that war is dependent on a particular country due to the type of government in power, and the extent to which the international law affects the decision-making criteria of that country. Various forms of liberalism imply that democracy results in peaceful nations that do not fight amongst each other in wars. Liberalists also advocate for the use of force only as long as it is used in the removal of dictatorships and replacement of the dictatorships with democratic political processes. It is pertinent to note that most democratic nations do not enter into wars with each other, but with other undemocratic nations. Non-democratic nations, having no transparent systems of balances in place, often attack democratic nations first. The democracies must therefore retaliate thereby causing situations of war. Due to the violent nature of non-democratic nations, democracies have to mobilize all elements of power available to them in order to appear more powerful that the undemocratic countries. In the context of America and Afghanistan, America may have attacked Iraq as a preventative measure from further attacking the United States in terrorism activities and its allies (Weber, 2005). The American government made the mistake of underestimating the capacity that the al-Qaida and Taliban had in terms of weapons that is why the insurgents launched an attack on USA on September 11. If the political systems of Afghanistan had been running on the concept of democracy, the United States would only have launched an attack on Afghanistan only as a last resort. In fact, there would have been quite uproar not just from American citizens, but also from the international community. War against Iraq appears to have been okay just by the differences in the two regimes. The attacks on 9/11 acted as a platform for the United States to exert democracy using its power. The result was democracy and reduction of terrorist activities all through the international system.
In terms of elitists’ interests, war comes because of internal factors such as interest groups and societies that are endogenous to the state (Weber, 2005). According to Karl Marx, the bourgeois control all sectors of society economical and political in a manner that suits only them at the expense of the proletariat. Most non-democratic regimes that characterized by illegal factions like the Taliban movement find that war or attack from other international communities legitimizes them. Consider the fact that many Americans had never paid any attention to Afghanistan or al-Qaida and Taliban until USA declared war on them. It could also be that President Bush, having been re-elected unopposed sought to compound his position as the leader that would declare war on a country after such a long period of military dormancy. Bush gained political popularity and advantage by declaring war on a country that threatened the security of his people. Bush would otherwise not have waged war on a strong country military wise and political wise if there was a chance of losing. The United States up to date still maintains the war in Iraq because it has the resources and the power to facilitate the war for as long as it deems necessary. There have also been speculations that the Bush administration declared war as a means to serve the personal interests of energy sectors and corporations that would gain a lot from service contracts to Afghanistan (Grieco, 1988). This implies massive discrepancies in the American government at the expense of not just the security of the American public, but also on the expense of the troops many who continue to fight and lose their lives.
Other aspects that have affected the war in Afghanistan include psychological frameworks of top decision makers and their idiosyncratic variables. Idiosyncratic variables refer to the character and the attitudes of the main decision makers. It could be that President Bush made the decision to attack Afghanistan based on his own principle and mind-set towards terrorism or the Taliban and the al Qaeda movement. Idiosyncratic variables often comprise of the manner in the socialization of a person and the nurturing of the environment. Analytically, there are chances that a different leader would have chosen a different option other than war. The influences in terms of the people in the decision making center could also have shaped that direction in which the war took. Such influences might include the secretary of state, or the vice-president. Psychologically, who is not to say that a republican would have made a different decision from a democrat? It is also quite possible that the inspiration for the Bush administration was by certain stereotypes associated with the Taliban movement. Stereotypically people belonging to the Taliban are rough and uncultured people willing to do just about anything concerning the beliefs. In this case, the Taliban opted to bomb America in a terrorist attack, and this could have remarkably well served as the administration’s inspiration. The retaliatory attacks could simply have been a mission of revenge against the group that harmed and killed millions of Americans (Weber, 2005).
Conclusion
Whichever theory one chooses to explain the attack on Afghanistan, it is clear that the war was unavoidable to secure the freedoms and democracies of the American people. The effects continue to be felt among families of soldiers that volunteered to go into the war on terror. Some have lost vital functioning of their limbs and arms and worse still most people have lost their lives leaving families and friends devastated. The effects are not just in America there are numerous and innocent Afghanistan causalities who probably had nothing to do with terrorism or its spread in the international system. There is the need for the American government and the countries in the international system to create mechanisms for maintaining peace without necessarily having troops on the ground. The government should encourage Afghan citizens that are against terrorism to act as intelligence for the American government. In return, the government should create incentives for people to come forward with information such as offering them asylum from the Taliban and al Qaeda movements or offering them monetary encouragement at a time that has seen the need of financial independence. The war has continued for long enough, and although it has seen the capture of vital figures such as Sadaam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, the adverse effects seem to outweigh the positive aspects. The American people and the international communities continue to be eternally grateful to the people that have sacrificed their time and lives for the war against terrorism.
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