Afghanistan and beyond: Reflections on the future of warfare

Abstract

Abstract : The author provides an historical analysis of lessons from the war in Afghanistan so that policymakers and analysts alike will better understand the nature of operations other than war in multiethnic states. Many fear these wars will set the paradigm for future wars and will exert pressure on U.S. forces to conduct peacekeeping, peace enforcement and humanitarian assistance operations in especially dangerous areas. Yugoslavia and Somalia bear out the ubiquity of these wars and the pressures upon the United States to act. Hopefully mechanisms can be devised to forestall and avert future wars, or to bring them to the speediest possible conclusion. Should those mechanisms fail and troops have to be committed, this analysis should enable commanders to have a better grasp of the nature of the war they will fight. Understanding the war and the theater should facilitate a solution more in keeping with U.S. interests and values.