...The final chapter on the Afghanistan case study argues that the Obama administration agreed to withdraw from Afghanistan when the country’s situation was highly unsatisfactory, and U.S. leverage was at a low point. The Taliban remained resilient, and the Afghan government plagued with problems...

...As the Bush administration drifted from a decisive-victory approach toward transition-and-withdraw, the CPA disbanded, and control was given to the Iraqis. The U.S. aimed to contain the Sunni insurgency so that Iraqi forces could handle it, but decisions surrounding elections and the new...

... to the creation of the Baker Commission, which is in favor of the withdrawal of troops from the Middle East and negotiating with Syria and Iran. He also appointed Robert Gates, a known realist, to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense. No matter what happens in Iraq, the general principles underlying...

... Batchelder Col Sydney H Felty Capt Norman Southerland Dan Chun Chhim surrender of Huong Thong Lim surrender of Sichan Maj Gen Mey surrender of Cambodian Civil War Khmer communists War by budget Insurgency Military withdrawal From its inception, the war in Cambodia was closely associated...

... leadership to withdraw the Iraqi forces to the international border. General Military Intelligence Iran Iranian Armed Forces Iranian Operations “Qadisiyat Saddam” War General Headquarters or High Command Military Doctrine Hisham Sabah al Fakhri General Iyad Futaykh Khalifa al Rawi General Political...

..., and the decision to withdraw without a residual force. The United States' inability to craft a strategy that deterred or responded to external malignant actors compounded the effects of those poor decisions. In spite of all the strategic, operational, and tactical mistakes it made, the US nearly was able...

... Marc Bagram Air Base High Peace Council HPC Obama Barack Spanta Afghan National Security Advisor Dadfar Dobbins Ambassador James “Jim ” Afghanistan Drawdown Withdrawal Taliban Transition As these frictions undermined the prospects of reconciliation, the drawdown of international forces...

... to the withdrawal timeline this gave Maliki more leverage. As discussions focused on when the U.S. forces would leave, reconciliation was further side-lined. al Qaeda in Iraq AQI patron client relationship s Sons of Iraq SoI al Maliki Nouri Kamal Anbar Awakening Clinton Secretary of State Hillary Gates...

... of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Anbar province Iraq Fallujah Iraq 2010 Parliamentary elections 2008 Status of Forces Agreement Withdrawal Daesh The Obama administration embarked quickly on a strategy review for Iraq, determined to wind down the war and refocus attention on Afghanistan...

..., and there was no effort to develop with Afghan partners a coordinated strategy for the war or to address the misaligned aims and incentives. Additionally, the simultaneous announcement of a surge and withdrawal timeline limited both U.S. options and leverage. al Qaeda bureaucratic friction Eikenberry Lieutenant General...