Author Says Afghanistan Would Have Been Successful Without Iraq

By Anna Cameron

During a conference call hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, political scientist and author Dan Caldwell noted that the American mission in Afghanistan would have been much more effective had the United States not invaded Iraq in 2003.

“I definitely believe that the United States could have achieved its goals in Afghanistan much more quickly and much more effectively had we not invaded Iraq,” said Caldwell, who is also a distinguished professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University.

“In terms of the Afghan war, I think that one of the problems there…is taking the eye off the ball after the initial military success,” he added. “We moved resources, money and people from Afghanistan to Iraq, and I think that was one of the biggest mistakes.”

Caldwell’s latest book, entitled “Vortex of Conflict: U.S. Policy Toward Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq,” focuses on the historic and political elements of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - two conflicts he argues are integrally related.