About our wars since 9/11

There are three reference pages with information about the Iraq War.  This page is an archive of my articles about Afghanistan and Iraq.  There are two other “reference pages” about our wars in the Middle East.

  1. The iraq war — other valuable articles and reports
  2. Our Goals and Benchmarks for the Expedition to Iraq.

Also valuable is the The Counterinsurgency Library — a vast listing of online articles about COIN.

Contents

  1. About our wars in the Middle East and sub-continent
  2. About the War in Pakistan
  3. About the War in India
  4. About the War in Afghanistan
  5. About the War in Iraq


(1)  About our wars in the Middle East and sub-continent

  1. A guide to our Middle East Wars – change you cannot see, 31 March 2009
  2. Is America a destabilizing force in the world?, 23 January 2009
  3. “Going for Broke – 6 ways the Af-Pak War is Expanding” – Engelhardt, 26 May 2009
  4. Can we answer SecDef Gates’ question about NATO and the Af-Pak War?, 19 May 2009
  5. Advice about our long war – “It’s the tribes, stupid”, 10 June 2009
  6. “War without end”, a great article by George Wilson, 27 June 2009
  7. Another attempt to justify our Af-Pak war, and show the path to victory, 31 August 2009
  8. The advocates for the Af-pak war demonstrate their bankruptcy. Will the American public notice?, 1 September 2009
  9. A new reason to kill thousands of people? Stay tuned for the answer!, 24 September 2009
  10. Juan Cole describes A Century of Frenzy over the North-West Frontier, 27 September 2009
  11. Today’s news about the Ak-Pak War, about al Qaeda’s strength, 1 July 2010
  12. Killing the leaders of our enemy. Is this the fast track to victory – or disaster?, 25 October 2010
  13. Will the Taliban Give us a Taste of Armageddon?, 26 October 2010
  14. Every day brings new advocacy for war. That’s our America., 1 November 2010
  15. A look back at the madness that led us into our wars. How does this advice read 6 years later?, 26 June 2010
  16. About the violent mobs in the Middle East. And in America, 16 September 2012
  17. Time to ask about lessons learned from our wars, a last opportunity to gain something from them, 30 October 2013


(2)  About the War in Pakistan

  1. Is Pakistan’s Musharraf like the Shah of Iran? (if so, bad news for us), 8 November 2007
  2. Stratfor says that our war in Pakistan grows hotter; Palin seems OK with that, 12 September 2008
  3. NPR tells us more about America’s newest war, in Pakistan, 14 September 2008
  4. Pakistan warns America about their borders, and their sovereignty, 14 September 2008
  5. Weekend reading about … foreign affairs, 19 October 2008
  6. To good a story to die: eliminate legitimate grievances to eliminate terrorism, 9 December 2008
  7. About the 4GW between India and Pakistan, 6 January 2009
  8. The US tells Pakistan to pick a side. Or else…, 4 May 2009
  9. Why are we fighting in Pakistan, 14 May 2009
  10. The love of an ally is sweet to behold, 21 August 2009
  11. Juan Cole describes A Century of Frenzy over the North-West Frontier, 27 September 2009
  12. Are we defending the Pakistan of our dreams, or the real thing?, 7 October 2009
  13. Pratap Chatterjee asks “are we destabilizing Pakistan?”, 14 February 2010


(3)   About the War in India

  1. Is Pakistan’s Musharraf like the Shah of Iran? (if so, bad news for us), 8 November 2007
  2. Terrorism in India, a roster of incidents, 16 May 2008
  3. Stratfor says that our war in Pakistan grows hotter; Palin seems OK with that, 12 September 2008
  4. NPR tells us more about America’s newest war, in Pakistan, 14 September 2008
  5. Pakistan warns America about their borders, and their sovereignty, 14 September 2008
  6. To good a story to die: eliminate legitimate grievances to eliminate terrorism, 9 December 2008
  7. About the 4GW between India and Pakistan, 6 January 2009
  8. “Some people just want to see the world burn”, 17 January 2009
  9. 4GW in India – more people who want to watch the world burn, 19 January 2009
  10. India looks at the monster in the mirror, 21 January 2009


 (4)  About the War in Afghanistan

  1. Scorecard #2: How well are we doing in Iraq? Afghanistan?, 31 October 2003
  2. Quote of the day: this is America’s geopolitical strategy in action, 26 February 2008 — George Friedman of Statfor on the Afghanistan War.
  3. Another perspective on Afghanistan, a reply to George Friedman, 27 February 2008
  4. How long will all American Presidents be War Presidents?, 21 March 2008
  5. Why are we are fighting in Afghanistan?, 9 April 2008 — A debate with Joshua Foust.
  6. We are withdrawing from Afghanistan, too (eventually), 21 April 2008
  7. Roads in Afghanistan, a new weapon to win 4GW’s?, 26 April 2008
  8. A powerful weapon, at the sight of which we should tremble and our enemies rejoice, 2 June 2008
  9. Brilliant, insightful articles about the Afghanistan War, 8 June 2008
  10. The good news about COIN in Afghanistan is really bad news, 20 August 2008
  11. Stratfor says that our war in Pakistan grows hotter; Palin seems OK with that, 12 September 2008
  12. Pakistan warns America about their borders, and their sovereignty, 14 September 2008
  13. Weekend reading about … foreign affairs, 19 October 2008
  14. “Strategic Divergence: The War Against the Taliban and the War Against Al Qaeda” by George Friedman, 31 January 2009
  15. America sends forth its privateers to pillage, bold corsairs stealing from you and I, 9 February 2009
  16. “The Great Afghan Bailout” by Tom Engelhardt, 14 April 2009
  17. Stratfor: “The Strategic Debate Over Afghanistan”, 13 May 2009
  18. A joust between two schools of American military theory, 19 May 2009
  19. Can we answer SecDef Gates’ question about NATO and the Af-Pak War?, 19 May 2009
  20. Troops without proper equipment in 2004, troops without proper equipment in 2009 – where’s the outrage?, 20 May 2009
  21. New bases in Afghanistan – more outposts of America’s Empire, 21 May 2009
  22. The simple, fool-proof plan for victory in Afghanistan , 1 June 2009
  23. Advice about our long war – “It’s the tribes, stupid”, 9 June 2009
  24. An expert explains why we must fight in Afghanistan, 11 June 2009
  25. Real experts review a presentation about the War (look here, if you’re looking for well-written analysis!), 21 June 2009
  26. The Big Lie at work in Afghanistan – an open discussion, 23 June 2009
  27. The trinity of modern warfare at work in Afghanistan, 13 July 2009
  28. “Strategic Calculus and the Afghan War” by George Friedman of Stratfor, 17 July 2009
  29. Powerful insights about our war in Afghanistan, part 1, 18 July 2009
  30. We are warned about Afghanistan, but choose not to listen (part 2), 19 July 2009
  31. Powerful insights about our war in Afghanistan, part 3, 20 July 2009
  32. Exum: “Introducing the Afghanistan Strategy Dialogue”, 8 August 2009
  33. An important contribution to the debate about the Afghanistan War, 12 August 2009
  34. The beginning of the end to our war in Afghanistan, 13 August 2009
  35. You can end our war in Afghanistan, 20 August 2009
  36. We must stay in Afghanistan to prevent atomic war!, 24 August 2009
  37. Quote of the day: Our Afghanistan War explained in 22 words, 26 August 2009
  38. Foust describes the case for our war in Afghanistan, 28 August 2009
  39. Another attempt to justify our Af-Pak war, and show the path to victory, 31 August 2009
  40. The advocates for the Af-pak war demonstrate their bankruptcy. Will the American public notice?, 1 September 2009
  41. Today’s volleys in the domestic battle about Afghanistan, 2 September 2009
  42. Fact Sheet about US militiary operations in Afghanistan, 3 September 2009
  43. Here’s a politician with guts (too bad he’s Scottish, we could use more like him), 4 September 2009
  44. Every day the war’s advocates find new reasons we should fight in Afghanistan!, 7 September 2009
  45. “Afghanistan by the Numbers – Measuring a War Gone to Hell”, by Tom Engelhardt, 9 September 2009
  46. How many troops would it take to win in Afghanistan?, 15 September 2009
  47. Let’s blow the fog away and see what General McChrystal really said, 23 September 2009
  48. A new reason to kill thousands of people? Stay tuned for the answer!, 24 September 2009
  49. About those large and growing Afghanistan security forces…, 26 September 2009
  50. A General explains how the Green Lantern Theory of Geopolitics will bring us victory in Afganistan, 27 September 2009
  51. DoD did not consider troop levels when devising our latest Af-Pak war plans, more evidence that their OODA loop is broken, 8 October 2009
  52. Powerful and insightful new articles by Macgregor, 10 October 2009
  53. Stop and reflect on this key moment in US history, 12 October 2009
  54. The three kinds of advocacy for the Af-Pak War, 15 October 2009
  55. Stratfor: The U.S. Challenge in Afghanistan, 21 October 2009
  56. Why All the President’s Afghan Options Are Bad Ones, 5 November 2009
  57. Bernard Finel shows how to end the Af-Pak in days. Now. Guaranteed., 6 November 2009
  58. Is the Taliban open to negotiations with the US?, 16 November 2009
  59. Admiral Mullen sets a high bar for continued US combat in Afghanistan, 18 November 2009
  60. We destroy a secular regime in Afghanistan (& its women’s rights), then we wage war on the new regime to restore women’s rights. Welcome to the American Empire., 20 November 2009
  61. Bernard Finel justifies our crusade in Afghanistan (insufficiently), 24 November 2009
  62. The SecDef gives the definitive analysis of the situation, a must-read, 30 December 2009
  63. “Night Raids, Hidden Detention Centers, the ‘Black Jail’, and the Dogs of War in Afghanistan”, 30 January 2010
  64. The future of Marjah, after the invasion and occupation, 23 February 2010
  65. Stratfor explains “The Meaning of Marjah, 24 February 2010
  66. A look behind the Afghan mask covering our operations in Afghanistan, 25 February 2010
  67. Another sad little bit of agitprop, this time from John Nagl, 28 February 2010
  68. Update about the state of the Af-Pak war; my forecast was wrong, 1 March 2010
  69. France gives us tips for the Afghanistan War, from their successful role in the American Revolution, 11 March 2010
  70. “Refighting the Last War: Afghanistan and the Vietnam Template”, 27 March 2010
  71. Today’s example of American foreign policy weirdness (about our allies), 6 April 2010
  72. Don’t read the media’s spin about Karzai’s remarks; read what the media actually say about Karzi. He certainly does., 6 April 2010
  73. A clear view of our Afghanistan War strategy (unfortunately, it’s mad), 16 April 2010
  74. A powerful story from Afghanistan, an illustration of our un-strategy at work, 18 April 2010
  75. Excerpts from the April 2010 DoD report on the Afghanistan War, 3 May 2010
  76. Exum looks at Af-Pak campaign of the Long War, revealing more about ourselves than the foe, 7 June 2010
  77. An unusually clear view of the Afghanistan War, 15 June 2010
  78. Max Boot: history suggests we will win in Afghanistan; odds better than 50-50. Here’s the real story., 21 June 2010
  79. Statfor discusses “The 30-Year War in Afghanistan”, 2 July 2010
  80. Petraeus’s Baby, 21 July 2010
  81. Afghanistan war logs: Shattering the illusion of a bloodless victory, 28 July 2010
  82. Today’s propaganda: we must fight in Afghanistan to help its women, 10 August 2010
  83. About our sudden concern for Afghanistan’s women (& the desperate search for a reason to fight), 12 August 2010
  84. A non-violent crusade giving rights to the world’s women!, 14 August 2010
  85. Two perspectives on the Afghanistan War, 6 September 2010
  86. On Strategy (specifically in Afghanistan), 1 September 2010
  87. Uncle Screwtape explains how to build support for the Af-Pak War, 16 September 2010
  88. More experts pan our Af-Pak war. When will this show close?, 18 September 2010
  89. Presidential decision-making about Vietnam and Afghanistan: “You have 3 choices, sir”, 5 October 2010
  90. Kubler-Ross gives us a good perspective on the evolution of the Afghanistan War,19 October 2010
  91. About our operations in Kandahar – all that’s old is new again, 20 October 2010
  92. Second thoughts by 2 major boosters of the Af-Pak War (better late than never), 10 December 2010
  93. Another echo in Afghanistan of the Vietnam War.  Will we hear it, and learn?, 8 February 2012
  94. Rolling Stone releases Colonel Davis’ blockbuster report about Afghanistan – and our senior generals!, 12 February 2012
  95. 450 Bases and It’s Not Over Yet – The Pentagon’s Afghan Basing Plans for Prisons, Drones, and Black Ops, 14 February 2012
  96. The end nears for our expedition to Afghanistan. Time to reflect on what went wrong., 29 February 2012
  97. Bleak news, but vital for us to understand: American Morlocks: Another Civilian Massacre and the Savagery of Our Soldiers, 17 March 2012
  98. Chuck Spinney describes the next phases of the Afghan War: defeat, retreat, & demobilization, 9 April 2012
  99. Remembering is the first step to learning. Living in the now is ignorance., 29 October 2013
  100. Afghanistan: The Desert of Death, an opportunity to learn, 14 January 2014


(5)  About the War in Iraq

  1. Scorecard #1: How well are we doing in Iraq? How well is our opposition doing?  (22 September 2003)
  2. Scorecard #2: How well are we doing in Iraq? Afghanistan?  (31 October 2003)
  3. Scorecard #3: the Coalition’s Progress in Iraq  (9 November 2003)
  4. Scorecard #4: New developments in Iraq  (22 November 2003)
  5. Forecasts for the American Expedition to Iraq   (30 November 2005)
  6. Lessons Learned from the American Expedition to Iraq   (29 December 2005)
  7. Forecasts for the American Expedition to Iraq – the Sequel  (7 March 2006)
  8. Kuber-Ross gives us a perspective on the evolution of the Iraq War  (11 November 2006)
  9. This is a defining moment in Iraq. The next six months will be crucial. Again. And Again.  (12 Novembe 2006) — Part one.
  10. Part II – What Should We Do in Iraq?  (9 December 2006)
  11. Part III – More Paths to Failure in Iraq  (19 December 2006)
  12. Part IV – Why We Lose at 4GW  (4 January 2007)
  13. Part V – The Iraq insurgency has ended, which opens a path to peace  (13 March 2007)
  14. The Core Competence of America’s Military Leaders  (22 May 2007)
  15. News from the Front: America’s military has mastered 4GW!  (2 September 2007)
  16. Stories or statistics? Read and compare to find the truth!  (5 September 2007)
  17. Beyond Insurgency: An End to Our War in Iraq (21 September 2007)
  18. The Iraq War as a warning for America (1 October 2007)
  19. Kilcullen explains all you need to know about the Iraq War  (6 October 2007)
  20. How to accurately forecast trends of the Iraq War  (15 October 2007)
  21. Why we are winning in Iraq…  (9 November 2007)
  22. Matthew Yglesias asks a good question about Iraq  (4 January 2008)
  23. Three blind men examine the Iraq Elephant  (6 February 2008)
  24. How the Iraq and Vietnam wars are mirror images of each other  (7 February 2008)
  25. Truly cracked advice to the State Department, receiving wide applause   (13 February 2008)
  26. Surrender in Al Anbar province  (14 February 2008)
  27. Good news about Iraq   (18 February 2008)
  28. Today’s ABCD’s: About Blitzkrieg, COIN, and Diplomacy   (21 February 2008)
  29. Another perspective on Cordesman’s “A briefing from the battlefield”  (29 February 2008)
  30. A look at the next phase of the Iraq War: 2009-2012  (1 March 2008)
  31. Stratfor’s analysis of US reasons for invading and occupying Iraq   (4 March 2008)
  32. The oddity of reports about the Iraq War  (13 March 2008) — Some theories why after 5 years we still debate basic things about the Iraq War.
  33. General McCaffery reports about conditions in Iraq  (21 March 2008)
  34. Imperial viceroys in Iraq  (22 March 2008)
  35. Stratfor again attempts to explain why we invaded Iraq  (24 March 2008)
  36. War porn   (25 March 2008) – Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the war-bloggers’ reporting in Iraq.
  37. Different voices discussing about the events in Basra  (27 March 2008)
  38. More views of the events at Basra (1) – experts  (28 March 2008)
  39. More views of the events at Basra (2) — bloggers and war-bloggers  (28 March 2008) — Contrast the war bloggers’ reports with those of some experts.
  40. More views of the events at Basra (3) — background information   (28 March 2008)
  41. A rebuttal to “War Porn” (it takes 2 sides to have a discussion)  (29 March 2008)  — A defense of the war bloggers, and the author’s reply.
  42. Two comparisons of Vietnam and Iraq   (30 March 2008)
  43. A look at the writings of “war blogger” Michael J. Totten  (31 March 2008) — excerpts of his posts from 2003 – 2005.
  44. News you can trust about the fighting in Basra!  (31 March 2008) — Two perspectives on recent events.
  45. An email discussion with Michael Totten  (31 March 2008) — How has his reporting changed? What does he wish he had done differently?
  46. Evidence of the war bloggers’ growing influence  (2 April 2008)
  47. Basra, a test case: war blogger’s vs. experts  (2 April 2008)
  48. Experts’ views about the recent fighting in Basra  (2 April 2008)
  49. Some comments by Bill Roggio  (3 April 2008)
  50. Sources of the Instapundit’s knowledge about Iraq — analysis or cartoons?  (3 April 2008)
  51. Bill Roggio comments on this series about “war bloggers”   (4 April 2008)
  52. We are withdrawing again from Iraq, forever  (12 April 2008) — a survey of the Stratfor database from 2003 to now shows 21 articles about promises or hints of reducing US forces in Iraq.
  53. “The Price of the Surge”  (17 April 2008)
  54. Another volley in the battle of the anthropologists  (18 April 2008)
  55. The media discover info ops, with outrage!  (22 April 2008)
  56. Two views of Fallujah – which tells us more about the future?   (23 April 2008)
  57. Only our amnesia makes reading the newspapers bearable  (30 April 2008)
  58. Mocking the “culture clash” reporting about the Iraq War  (6 May 2008)
  59. Is Iraq like “Groundhog Day” or “whack a mole”?   (11 May 2008)
  60. Scoring Basra: War bloggers 2, area experts 0   (14 May 2008)
  61. Important news about the Basra fighting  (14 May 2008)
  62. The Iraq War will end in 2009   (19 May 2008)
  63. Iraq, after the war    (20 May 2008)
  64. Are the American people willing to accept the costs of war?  (21 May 2008)
  65. Keeping score: how well did 4GW theory predict events in Iraq?  (21 May 2008)
  66. Two stories about Basra and Sadr City – you decide who is winning  (22 May 2008)
  67. “America’s Greatest Weapon”    (25 May 2008)
  68. Winning hearts and mind with artillery fire  (26 May 2008)
  69. Iraq Army success in Sadr City: true or false  (26 May 2008)
  70. The cost of the Iraq War   (27 May 2008)
  71. Update: Is al-Sistani about to call for US forces to leave Iraq?  (28 May 2008)
  72. Another example of winning hearts & minds with artillery  (29 May 2008)
  73. A NY Times reporter proves that we still do not understand Iraq  (31 May 2008)
  74. A powerful weapon, at the sight of which we should tremble and our enemies rejoice  (2 June 2008)
  75. Iraq wonders if America will respect them in the morning  (5 June 2008)
  76. About those expert-sounding discussions of Iraq politics by Americans…  (9 June 2008)
  77. The Real War in Iraq, seldom mentioned so as to not disturb the slumber of America  (16 June 2008)
  78. Colonel Macgregor sums up the state of the Iraq War   (2 July 2008)
  79. What we did we wrong in Iraq – the simple, short version  (9 July 2008)
  80. Slowly the new Iraq becomes visible  (18 July 2008)
  81. A moment of truth about Iraq; apologies quickly follow – please forget this ASAP!    (3 August 2008)
  82. A larger lesson from the delayed elections in Iraq, 8 August 2008
  83. Can anyone explain General Petraeus’ answer?, 8 August 2008
  84. A lesson learned from the fighting in Basra: the war-bloggers were correct; the experts wrong, 17 September 2008
  85. Visiting Iraq’s “Don’s” from the Inside of an Armored BMW, 5 March 2009
  86. Brief update about events in Iraq, 8 April 2009
  87. If we won in Iraq, what did we win? Was it worth the cost?, 15 July 2009
  88. “Colonizing Iraq”, by Michael Schwartz, 25 July 2009
  89. “Iraq Endgame” by George Friedman, 22 August 2009
  90. “Biking Out of Iraq”, by Tom Engelhardt, 23 August 2009
  91. We collect our winnings in Iraq, 27 December 2009
  92. Some good advice about the Iraq War from Zbigniew Brzezinski, 13 January 2010
  93. One criterion of victory in Iraq: when will the oil flow?, 3 February 2010
  94. We paid the insurgents in Iraq; it looked good in dispatches (ignore the long-term effects), 19 May 2010
  95. About our successful nation-building in Iraq, 31 August 2010
  96. The end of our Expedition to Iraq:  war-boosters cheer despite its long-predicted failure., 24 October 2011
  97. Peter Van Buren explains “What We Lost in Iraq and Washington in 2009-2012″, 10 April 2012
  98. Why are we surprised that we supported militia in Iraq, and they used torture?, 12 March 2013
  99. Time to ask about lessons learned from our wars, a last opportunity to gain something from them, 30 October 2013
  100. The best way to celebrate the 11-year anniversary of our Expedition to Iraq, 18 March 2014
  101. Choose to follow those who were right about our wars, or those who were wrong, 17 June 2014
  102. After 13 years of failed wars, do we know our warmongers?, 20 June 2014
  103. Iraq gives us another opportunity to confront our mistakes, and learn from them, 27 June 2014

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