The Scenario:
In response to an article published in the Winter 2022 edition of the Hoover Digest (Jihadi vs. Jihadi), several democrats co-sponsored a bill. This bill has been read on the floor of the House of Representatives and sent to the Foreign Affairs Committee to initiate a fact-finding investigation into the past 20 years of military involvement in the Middle East. The timeline will consist of the 9/11 attack as the beginning, and the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan as the end. Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) has decided to send this to the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism. Chairman Ted Deutch (D-FL) has placed a hearing on the calendar where expert testimony will be solicited and heard, rather than a public forum. It just so happens that you have been invited to testify at this hearing. As a 20-year veteran of the CIA, your service has been primarily within the Directorate of Intelligence, specifically an analyst in the departments of Terrorism Analysis, Iraq Analysis, and Counterterrorism Analysis. The past five years you have served in a managerial role of Counterterrorism Analysis within the Directorate of National Clandestine Services. Due to the abrupt nature of the Afghanistan withdrawal and President Biden’s predilection towards fact-finding, the interest in this bill has caused it to be fast-tracked through committee. You receive a call that you will testify in just five days. You must prepare a statement and be ready for questions from committee members.
Your Task:
Prepare a statement that presents your professional opinion on what America got right and wrong in the Middle East following 9/11.
At least 1 page (should really be about 2 pages)
Single spaced (not 1.15 or any of that nonsense…Mr. Hampton knows!)
12 pt font
Times New Roman font
Your Requirements:
Discuss how terrorism redefined US foreign policy
Describe the following Operations
Operation Enduring Freedom
At least one battle
The Surge
Nation-building
Operation Iraqi Freedom
At least one battle
Insurgency
The Surge
Nation-building
Operation New Dawn
Operation Red Dawn
Operation Neptune Spear
Discuss the approaches of the following administrations toward Middle Eastern conflicts and foreign policy:
President George W. Bush
Bush Doctrine
President Barack Obama
Obama Doctrine
President Trump
Trump Doctrine
Discuss the contributions of the following:
General Tommy Franks
General David Petraeus
Discuss the state of US relations with Iran
Discuss US involvement in Syria
Discuss the obstacles presented by the following:
Al-Qaeda
Taliban
ISIS
Sectarian violence (Sunni vs. Shia)
Discuss the role played by both Drones and Special Forces
Discuss the toll IEDs played on the morale of American soldiers
Your Mentionables:
The following terms are important to know and understand to write an effective speech while meeting the requirements above. Use the list to help write it and try and work in as many as possible while still allowing the speech to flow:
Terrorism
Counterterrorism
Neoconservatives
Dick Cheney
Donald Rumsfeld
Colin Powell
Political Realism
Osama bin Laden
Non-state Actors
Global War on Terror
CENTCOM
Tomahawk Missiles
Bagram Air Base
Northern Alliance
Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif
Siege of Kunduz
First Fall of Kabul
Operation Rhino
Camp Rhino
Fall of Kandahar
Eastern Alliance
Hamid Karzai
Afghan National Army
Battle of Tora Bora
Operation Anaconda
Battle of Takur Ghar (Robert’s Ridge)
Axis of Evil
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Bay of Goats
Saddam Hussein
Saddam’s Ultimatum
Shock and Awe
101st Airborne
1st Marine Division
Gen. Jim Mattis
Battle of Saddam Intern’l Airport
Battle of Baghdad
“Mission Accomplished”
Paul Bremer
Ba’ath Party
Iraqi Army
Jihad
Jihadist
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Jama’at
Sunni Triangle
First Battle of Fallujah
Second Battle of Fallujah
Abu Ghraib Scandal
Counterinsurgency Field Manual
Task Force Conqueror (Ramadi)
Robert Gates
Iraqization
Multilateralism
Unilateralism
Hard Power
Smart Power
JSOC
SOCOM
Arab Spring
Social Media
Syrian Civil War
Bashar al-Assad
Free Syrian Army
Chemical Weapons
“Red Line”
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Iran Nuclear Deal
Travel Ban
Syrian Airstrikes
Qatar Crisis
Taliban Agreement
Withdrawal from Syria
Saudi Support
Qasem Soleimani
“Dawn of a New Middle East”
Last Completed Projects
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