This post explores the consequences of American withdrawal from Afghanistan. To place the issue of withdrawal in context, this post opens with an examination of President Barack Obama’s withdrawal decisions in Iraq and Afghanistan and how those decisions impacted U.S. counterterrorism. Second, the post explores President Donald Trump’s decision to…
President Donald Trump’s decision on December 19, 2018 to withdraw American forces from Syria unleashed a tsunami of piquant criticism. Much of that criticism is described below. At issue, how does the president’s decision inform us about his leadership in the area of counterterrorism? Criticism of Trump’s Withdrawal Decision…
Strident criticism is continually directed at The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). That criticism is often directed at the failure of the alliance to adjust to the Russian threat that continues to unfold in the wake of Vladimir’s Putin’s efforts to ensure that Russia is relevant again. Critics have…
Following the recapture of Mosul, the second largest city in the country, the government of Iraq issued a proclamation extolling the defeat of The Islamic State. Not long thereafter, the administration of President Donald Trump, following the collapse of the operational headquarters in Raqqa, Syria and in their strong-hold Deir…
Understanding the linkage between leadership, strategy, and counterterrorism is important if the United States is to win the war on terrorism. This post explores the four variables that are central to understanding what constitutes an effective counterterrorism strategy. At issue, a central point of this post is how do…
Thus far, the administration of Donald Trump has not created and released a National Security Strategy document. Similarly, no official in the administration has delivered a speech outlining the president’s counterterrorism strategy. That said, there is available evidence of what constitutes components of a counterterrorism strategy. This post outlines…