Perspectives on the Afghanistan War: Commentaries on a Misadventure

• Published date: 01 October 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X231155220
• Author: Donald S. Inbody,Patricia M. Shields
• Date: 01 October 2023
• Subject Matter: Introduction

https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X231155220

Armed Forces & Society

2023, Vol. 49(4) 883 –892

© The Author(s) 2023

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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X231155220

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Introduction

Perspectives on the

Afghanistan War:

Commentaries on a

Misadventure

Donald S. Inbody1 and Patricia M. Shields1

Abstract

This article introduces the Symposium on the Afghanistan War. During and after

the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, emotions ran high. This special issue

responds to public calls for further in-depth study of the Afghanistan War. We

assembled an international array of interdisciplinary scholars who address reasons

the mission became a misadventure. Additional papers focus on the consequences

borne by the people who served and the institutions that fought America’s longest

war.

Keywords

Afghanistan War, Taliban, Afghanistan withdrawal, U.S. military, North Atlantic

Treaty Organization

Almost 2 years after the last U.S. forces departed Afghanistan, discourse on the con-

duct and ending of the war has essentially stopped. Public interest has certainly

waned, leaving the experience in the rearview mirror. The Russian invasion of

Ukraine and its “great power war” possibilities has captured most of the world’s

attention leaving little, if any, room for discussion of lessons learned from the

1Texas State University, San Marcos, USA

Corresponding Author:

Patricia M. Shields, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666-4684, USA.

Email: ps07@txstate.edu

1155220AFSXXX10.1177/0095327X231155220Armed Forces & SocietyInbody and Shields

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