Resigned to Failure or Committed to a Just Cause of Justice? The Matthew Hoh Resignation, Our Current Politico-Military Strategy in Afghanistan, and Lessons Learned from the Panama Intervention of Twenty Years Ago

Abstract

The year 2011 marks the tenth year of coalitional combat operations and troop deployments as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. President Obama's definitive statement on his "way ahead" in Afghanistan came during his December 1, 2009, West Point speech on the nature of our commitment in post-9/11 Afghanistan, the scope of our interests, and the strategy to bring that war to a successful conclusion.

This Article will compare and contrast the Commander-in-Chief's perspective with that of the Senior Civilian Representative of Zabul Province, Afghanistan, a 36-year-old career foreign service officer who lived the "ground truth" of (d)evolving events in Afghanistan. It will also consider the 2001 through present-day intervention in Afghanistan in light of the twenty-first anniversary of Operation Promote Liberty - the civil-military operations following the United States' first post-Cold War intervention in the Republic of Panama, Operation Just Cause.

Keywords: Obama, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, Military Operations, War, Republic of Panama