I'm sure this has come up somewhere in some form (and I did search).
Full commitment of US forces to Afghanistan with no Iraq war after 9/11
ATL:
- Despite an active international campaign to establish a ‘Coalition of The Willing’ against Iraq, few US allies support the call in light of clear and substantiated evidence that WMD do not pose a substantive risk to region. With even its closest ally Britain conceding it is a lost cause, the US focuses it military options in Afghanistan.
- A sustained focus upon Al Qaeda and the Taliban achieving most of the US military objectives by 2005 (including the capture and sentencing of Osama Bin Laden).
- In 2010 Tony Blair removes the bulk of British troops in Afghanistan declaring that, “Like Bosnia, the peace has been won at great cost. We must now listen, carefully, and never, never forget our fortunes are linked in a brotherhood of nations... for only now has the real fight for hearts and minds begun.” In contrast, George W Bush simplistic emphasis upon heroism and militaristic glory inflamed relations with fellow collition forces especially after all but declaring victory, “...over the forces of evil who chose to bring their murderous and vile creed to our backyard, our homeland.”
- In the same year Tony Blair was swept back into power on the back of the successful Afghanistan War as well as a display of strong economic leadership at the beginning of the Global Economic Meltdown. George W Bush did not fair as well despite the ‘Victory’ dividend in Afghanistan having provided little in the way of post war leadership leading to a sustainable program of social reform and infrastructure development in that country. This combined with direct culpability for the economic recession and a weakened foreign policy response to Iraq finally derails the Republican’s re-election hopes leading to the election of Barack Obama.
- Now the senior partner in the UK/US alliance, Blair pushes for a raft of liberal democratic reform policies across the geopolitical spectrum in both Europe and the rest of the world raising the ire of an ever strident China.
- Obama ‘reaches out’ to the remaining elements of the Taliban resistance to ‘unclench their fists’ and come to the bargaining table. In 2012 Hillary Clinton announces that several top ranking advisors are in discussions with the Taliban leadership resulting in a road map to peace by 2016.