Light Footprints to a Long War

Abstract

This chapter discusses U.S. planning and assumptions before the invasion of Afghanistan. The Bush administration, with President Bush’s dislike of nation-building, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s preference for light, technological solutions, and the idea that Afghanistan was only one of many fronts of the Global War on Terrorism, opted for a limited military footprint and aimed to exit as quickly as possible. A contradiction ensued between a decisive victory outcome and the minimalist ways and means devoted to it.