Using the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism to Determine Objectives and End States for Operation Iraqi Freedom
Abstract
If Iraq is the central front in the War on Terror and if, as Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz purports, "the single greatest threat to peace and freedom in our time is terrorism," then one must judge American success in Iraq by how well it contributes to achieving the ultimate goal of victory in the War on Terror. Unfortunately, the debate in the government and especially inside the administration indicates that there is little agreement upon the relationship between the conflict in Iraq and the War on Terror. This paper examines Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in the context of the Global War on Terrorism. It uses the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism (NSCT) as the capstone, which breaks down the War on Terror into four fronts: DEFEAT, DENY, DIMINISH, and DEFEND. Using that framework, it will determine which fronts are being fought in OIF, and it will lay out the objectives and end states for each front. Finally, it will demonstrate the disconnect between the publicly confessed exit strategy and the objectives and end states indicated in the NSCT by looking at the probable effects on each front if the United States were to pull out of Iraq without a functioning democratic government. (32 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 19, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA424117
Entities
People
- Ian R. Sorensen
Organizations
- United States Army War College