Ten Years of GWOT, the Failure of Democratization, and the Fallacy of

October 7, 2011, marked a decade since the United States invaded Afghanistan and initiated the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). While most ten-year anniversary gifts involve aluminum, tin, or diamonds, the greatest gift U.S. policymakers can present American citizens is a reconsideration of the logic...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: David Oakley, Pat Proctor
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Henley-Putnam University 2012-01-01
Series:Journal of Strategic Security
Subjects:
Online Access:http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1129&context=jss
Description
Summary:October 7, 2011, marked a decade since the United States invaded Afghanistan and initiated the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). While most ten-year anniversary gifts involve aluminum, tin, or diamonds, the greatest gift U.S. policymakers can present American citizens is a reconsideration of the logic that guides America's counterterrorism strategy. Although the United States has successfully averted large-scale domestic terrorist attacks, its inability to grasp the nature of the enemy has cost it dearly in wasted resources and, more importantly, lost lives. Two of the most consistent and glaring policy flaws revolve around the concepts of filling "ungoverned spaces" and installing democracy by force.
ISSN:1944-0464
1944-0472