ISAF and Afghanistan: The Impact of Failure on NATO's Future
Abstract
Created by the United Nations Security Council in December of 2001 and composed of NATO and NATO partner nations, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Afghanistan has expanded from securing only the capital, Kabul, to being responsible for the security of the entire country as of late 2006. Billed as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) first large "out of area" mission, the pressure on ISAF to succeed is significant. After 8 years of conflict in Afghanistan, some question whether the ISAF has the capability and durability to see the mission through to completion. Indeed, voting constituencies and governments of the troop-contributing nations have shown increasing weariness and conflict fatigue, especially in the current global economic recession. Other factors, such as national caveats and command and control issues, have presented the predictable additional challenges of coalition operations. This paper will explore the implications for NATO if ISAF were to fail. If ISAF fails, would NATO become militarily irrelevant, politically irrelevant, or both?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA522047
Entities
People
- Tarn D. Warren
Organizations
- United States Army War College