Afghanistan : America ’ s Forever War
Air Force OSI members pay respects to six American Soldiers killed in a Taliban attack while on joint patrol near Bagram , Afghanistan . ( Winter 2016 ). Author ’ s Personal Collection .
An entire generation of Americans born near the turn of the twenty-first century is currently reaching legal adulthood . Although these young people may not understand or appreciate America ’ s ongoing war with Afghanistan , this military conflict has been in effect for almost their entire lives . As a result , they may be among the first to ask , “ Why have we been at war in Afghanistan for more than nineteen years ?” The answers lie in a timeline of delays that have prohibited US soldiers from coming home .
These obstacles include a delayed beginning , a stark lack of oversight in economic and infrastructure development , weakness in unified efforts ( including cultural and language difficulties ), and perceptions of an illegitimate Afghan government . To fully understand the United States ’ failure to withdraw from Afghanistan and how US officials passed down efforts to rebuild the nation through two succeeding administrations , a look at the events leading up to — and immediately after — the invasion of Afghanistan is essential .
Long before President George W . Bush declared his War on Terror , the events of September 11 , 2001 had already been set into motion . The lack of strong military responses following the 1983 bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon , the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 , and the bombing of USS Cole in 2000 created the impression that the US would be unwilling to
33