From Kabul to Baghdad and Back : The U.S. At War in Afghanistan and Iraq

__From Kabul to Baghdad and Back__ provides insight into the key strategic decisions of the Afghan and Iraq campaigns as the United States attempted to wage both simultaneously against al-Qaeda and its supporting affiliates. It also evaluates the strategic execution of those military campaigns to identify how well the two operations were conducted in light of their political objectives. The book identifies the elements that made the 2001 military operation to oust the Taliban successful, then with combat operations in Iraq as a standard of comparison, the authors analyze the remainder of the Afghan campaign and the essential problems that plagued that effort, from the decision to go to war with Iraq in 2002, through the ill-fated transition to NATO lead in Afghanistan in 2006, the dismissal of Generals McKiernan and McChrystal, the eventual decision by President Obama to make the Afghan campaign the main effort in the war on extremism, and the final development of drawdown plans following the end of the war in Iraq. No other book successfully compares and contrasts the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan from a national strategic perspective, analyzing the impact of fighting the Iraq War on the success of the United States campaign in Afghanistan. It is also the first book to specifically question several key operational decisions in Afghanistan including: the decision to give NATO the lead in Afghanistan, the decisions to fire Generals McKiernan and McChrystal and the decision to conduct an Iraq War-style surge in Afghanistan. It also compares the Afghan campaigns fought by the Soviet Union and the United States, the counterinsurgency campaigns styles in Iraq and Afghanistan and the leadership of senior American officials in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In the final chapter, the key lessons of the two campaigns are outlined, including the importance of effective strategic decision-making, the utility of population focused counterinsurgency practices, the challenges of building partner capacity during combat, and the mindset required to prosecute modern war. Fighting two enemies: a historical perspective The attacks of 9/11 and the decision to go to war in Afghanistan The opening gambit: Enduring Freedom and unconventional success Iraq and the Iraqi Freedom campaign: shift of national strategic focus Fighting two wars: the Afghan campaign as a secondary theater The Casey strategy in Iraq, from Fallujah to Tal Afar Parallel campaigns The 2007 Baghdad surge and the end of combat operations in Iraq Developing the Afghan surge strategy Conflict termination in Afghanistan A final assessment: fighting two wars. The authors compare the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan from a national strategic perspective. They question several key operational factors in Afghanistan, including the decision to give NATO the lead, the performance of both civilian and military leaders, and the prosecution of an Iraq War-style surge. They also contrast the counterinsurgency campaign styles and the leadership of senior American officials in both Iraq and Afghanistan. A final chapter outlines key lessons of the two campaigns Provides insight into the key strategic decisions of the Afghan and Iraq campaigns as the United States attempted to wage war simultaneously against al-Qaeda and its supporting affiliates. It also evaluates the strategic execution of those military campaigns to identify how well the two operations were conducted in light of their political objectives. Constance, la mère d'Alice, est de retour ! Quelle joie pour la fillette, d'autant que sa mère devient professeur de danse ! Mais du coup, Alice doit quitter la ville, l'école de Madame Zaza... et passer les chaussons magiques à une autre élève. Avant de partir, une dernière mission l'attend à Enchantia : sauver le carnaval des Bonbons !