“Indeed, despite the many fundamental differences between the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, military failures of both states were caused by the same three factors. First, the United States sought to impose the rigid, hierarchical American military doctrine on both armies, without considering the differences in the Afghan and Iraqi cultural contexts. Second, these enfeebled armies had to face off against either ISIL or the Taliban - violent non-state actors which possess a stronger “asabiyya” (group solidarity) than them. Third, there were weak leaders both in Kabul and Baghdad - former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Iraq and recently departed President Ashraf Ghani in Afghanistan - resulting in ineffective administrations and faltering governance. Alongside the US, these leaders allowed networks of patronage and corruption to take root in their countries' militaries during their respective rebuilding processes, enabling the eventual success of ISIL and the Taliban.”
17 Aug 2021
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