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orderinanageofausterity,contesteddomesticpolitics,and
transatlanticdissonance.
TheISAFinAfghanistanandImplicationsforNATO:AU.S.
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Inmanyways,theU.S.experienceintheISAFeffortmust
bedescribedasunique.Afterall,thewarinAfghanistanwaslaunched
afteraterroristattackagainsttheUnitedStates,andtheGeorge
W.BushadministrationinitiallysoughtonlyalimitedroleforNATO,
insteadpreferringacoalitionofthewillingapproach(inwhichmany
NATOmembersparticipated).1TheUnitedStatesalsoranasignificant
counter-terrorismeffortinAfghanistaninparalleltotheISAFmission
foraconsiderableperiodoftime.Furthermore,theeffort
inAfghanistanincreasinglybecameanafterthoughtinWashington,
astheUnitedStatessoughttogaininternationallegitimacy,prepared
for,andexecutedtheoperation“IraqiFreedom.”Asthepost-invasion
insurgencyinIraqgrewinscopeandintensity,Afghanistan,and
NATO’srolethere,fellfurtherfromWashington’sattention.For
atime,thethensecretaryofdefenseDonaldRumsfeldevensuggested
thatAfghanistancouldbelargelyhandedovertoAmerica’sEuropean
allies,sothattheUnitedStatescouldfocusentirelyonIraq.2Thislack
ofattentiontoAfghanistan,andbyimplicationtotheISAF,wasnot
fullyrectifieduntiltheObamaadministrationandthewithdrawalofall
U.S.forcesfromIraq.Finally,asasuperpowerthattouchesboththe
AtlanticandPacific,withinterestsandalliesandalliancesaroundthe
world,theUnitedStatesislessdefinedbyNATOandthetransatlantic
mindsetthanareotherNATOmembers.NATOiscertainlyimportant
totheUnitedStates,butthesecurityrelationshipswithothernon-
Europeanallies(suchasJapan,Australia,SouthKorea,Israel,Saudi
Arabia,andothers)alsotakeupmuchofWashington’stimeand
attention.Finally,itisimportanttorememberthat,whileAfghanistan
andIraqhavebeenfocalpointsforU.S.militaryeffortsoverthelast
decadeandahalf,itdoesnotmeanthattheUnitedStates’manyother
militaryeffortsaimedatmanagingtheglobalsecuritysystemhave
droppedoff.OverthelastdecadetheU.S.militaryhas,amongother
things,andasamatterofcourse,launchedanumberofmajor
humanitarianoperations(Haiti,Indonesia,Japan,and,mostrecently,
thePhilippines),enhanceditscyberwarfarecapabilities,engaged
inpiracysuppressionmissions,andtrainedAfricanpeacekeepers.
