Terrorism, COIN, and National Security
Terrorism, COIN, and National Security
by Francisco José Moreno
Download the Full Article: Terrorism, COIN, and National Security
As a reaction to the 9/11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan to kill or capture Osama bin Laden and to destroy his organization. The pursuit of bin Laden and Al Qaeda soon became a battle against the Taliban and as time passed the original mission receded into the background.
The Taliban lost control of the government, but it did not wither away. As the search for terrorists in Afghanistan turned into an all-out war against the Taliban, the 9/11 connection became increasingly difficult to retain. New reasons for staying in Afghanistan were then offered. In March 2003 the U.S. undertook the invasion of Iraq. While the new explanations for the Afghanistan war had been a stretch, the attack on Iraq obeyed no discernible logic and the attempts to justify it were mere fabrications. Despite the repugnant character of his regime, Saddam Hussein had no involvement with 9/11 and, as far as anyone has been able to show, posed no threat to any vital American interest.
The balance sheet of American actions in Afghanistan and Iraq is not a positive one.
Download the Full Article: Terrorism, COIN, and National Security
Francisco Jose Moreno is a political and economic consultant based in Miami, FL, who has published numerous books and articles on U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security. He was a professor of political science at New York University for over 20 years, chair of the NYU Politics Department, and a lecturer of economics at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Moreno served six years in the U.S Army and Army Reserve, including four years in Army Intelligence and Psychological Warfare. Mr. Moreno holds a PhD from NYU as well as degrees in Law and Economics from Havana University.
