Campaign disconnect
Operational progress and strategic obstacles in Afghanistan, 2009-2011
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4035884 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rudra Chaudhuri (0000-0003-0763-6629, King's College London), Theo Farrell (0000-0002-2952-3783, British International Studies Association) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 87 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 271-296 |
| Publication date | 2011-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-5850 • E-ISSN: 1468-2346 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1468-2346.2011.00973.x |
| OpenAlex | W2137014113 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
Success in war depends on alignment between operations and strategy. Commonly, such alignment takes time as civilian and military leaders assess the effectiveness of operations and adjust them to ensure that strategic objectives are achieved. This article assesses prospects for the US-led campaign in Afghanistan. Drawing on extensive field research, the authors find that significant progress has been made at the operational level in four key areas: the approach to counterinsurgency operations, development of Afghan security forces, growth of Afghan sub-national governance and military momentum on the ground. However, the situation is bleak at the strategic level. The article identifies three strategic obstacles to campaign success: corruption in Afghan national government, war-weariness in NATO countries and insurgent safe havens in Pakistan. These strategic problems require political developments that are beyond the capabilities of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). In other words, further progress at the operational level will not bring ‘victory’. It concludes, therefore, that there is an operational-strategic disconnect at the heart of the ISAF campaign
Afghan · Business · Corporate governance · Economics · Government (linguistics) · Language change · Management · Military science · National security · Political science · Politics · Security forces · Strategic goal · Strategic leadership · Strategic planning · Victory · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies · Law · Marketing · Military History and Strategy · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East
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| Unique citing works | 25 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,79 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2023 (12) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 24 |