New Arrival Losing the Good War

Obama and Afghanistan

A clear-eyed look at how political pressures and military influences led President Obama tosignificantlyincrease US involvement in the War in Afghanistan, even as the prospects for success seemed increasingly dim.

Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009 with a mandate to end the wars and occupations begun under George W. Bush. The American public and foreign policymakers alike were ready to withdraw from these unpopular and unwieldy conflicts. While Obama fulfilled his campaign promises with the bad war in Iraq, the good war in Afghanistan followed a very different path.

Unlike his predecessor, Obama chose to prioritize South Asia as the focus of the United States military. Following a strategic review, Obama and his military advisors decided to replicate the Iraqi troop surge in Afghanistan, embarking on a labor-intensive counterinsurgency campaign. Unlike the Iraqi surge, however, Obama plac