ABSTRACT
The initial U.S. preference for a light footprint in Afghanistan was informed by the Soviet and Vietnam analogies, the latter of which also inspired a time-limited civilian surge modeled on the 2007 escalation in Iraq, before Washington scaled down to counterterrorism in narrow terms. London’s special relationship compelled a commitment to NATO’s tranformation, whereas Paris in the lack of such resisted NATO as a civilian toolbox and withdrew early. Berlin’s force aversiveness translated into operational rejection of counterinsurgency, while Warsaw participated for its own sense of transatlantic ascendance and security guarantees.
