Unwinnable Wars: Afghanistan and the Future of American Armed Statebuilding

The book explores the factors that hindered success in Afghanistan and other U.S. armed statebuilding missions, arguing that these forces favor insurgencies, forfeit sustainability for quick results, and create dependencies and corruption, making any future attempts at armed statebuilding unwinnable.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 12 January 2024
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

In just nine short days, the Taliban managed to undo two decades of American efforts to build an armed state in Afghanistan. This catastrophic failure was not an isolated incident but rather a reflection of a broader pattern observed throughout history. Over the past century, nearly every attempt to intervene militarily to support or rebuild allied states has ended in dismal failure.

This book seeks to answer the fundamental question: why have these efforts consistently failed? By examining the factors that hindered success in Afghanistan, Adam Wunische identifies common factors that have plagued other unsuccessful U.S. armed statebuilding missions, ranging from Vietnam to Syria, Haiti to Iraq.

Wunische argues that these forces, inherent in the nature of military intervention, inherently favor insurgencies, prioritize quick results over sustainability, and create dependencies and corruption, all of which undermine the ultimate goal of building a state that can stand on its own. Moreover, he contends that most of these forces are unavoidable and uncontrollable, making any future attempts at armed statebuilding likely to be unsuccessful, with far-reaching costs and consequences that outweigh the potential benefits for the United States.

In the face of a future likely dominated by proxy wars, Wunische proposes a novel approach to prevent the United States from engaging in new wars that it is destined to lose. He suggests that the United States should focus on building strong diplomatic and economic relationships with regional partners, promoting stability and development, and investing in non-military means to address global challenges. By adopting a more nuanced and sustainable approach, the United States can avoid the costly and futile cycle of armed statebuilding and work towards a more peaceful and prosperous world.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509554843