This convocation will be of particular interest for students in International Studies and Politics as well as students considering careers in government. The goal is to help students learn both about academic and government responses to war and conflict around the world and the lessons the US can learn from the war in Afghanistan and how these can be applied to current and future conflicts. Dr. Wunische will speak both about his academic research on this topic as well as the role of government analysts in helping shape policy and how students can pursue different career options in the intelligence agencies of the US government.
APPROVED CONVOCATION
Will Russia be able to govern annexed Ukrainian territory? Will Israel be able to establish an alternative governing structure in Gaza? Would the People's Republic of China be able to effectively replace the government of Taiwan? The United States' misadventure in Afghanistan can offer key insights into these vexing questions and help us understand when any decision to go to war is destined to fail.
Dr. Adam Wunische will discuss his new book, Unwinnable Wars: Afghanistan and the Future of American Armed Statebuilding (Polity Press, 2024). He argues that so many factors and dynamics were working against the success of statebuilding in Afghanistan that the war was essentially a failure before it began, and that any similar operation will face the same restrictions and will similarly be unwinnable. Applying these lessons to current crises around the world from Taiwan to Ukraine, Dr. Wunische will explore US options in affecting outcomes without continuously chasing these unwinnable wars.
About the Speaker
Dr. Adam Wunische is a senior analyst with the Afghan War Commission, a non-partisan commission studying US decision-making during the 20-year war. Previously, he was a military analyst with the CIA studying security issues in Afghanistan. He is also an instructor at George Washington University, teaching classes on military affairs, terrorism and political violence, and analytic research methods. He obtained his Ph.D. in Political Science from Boston College and was a sergeant in the US Army from 2005 to 2010, completing two deployments to Afghanistan in support of the 3rd Special Forces Group.
Contact Information
Organizer
Center for Global Citizenship and International Studies