Arts and Humanities Commons^™

From The Acting Editor In Chief, Conrad C. Crane

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Spring 2023 issue of Parameters. This issue consists of an In Focus special commentary and the SRAD Director’s Corner focused on Afghanistan, three forums, and two Reviews and Replies.

Autonomy, Post-Puberty Bacha Posh And Third World Feminism In Selected Afghan Fiction, Asma

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper examines the fictional representation of the ways in which Afghan girls attain autonomy in their post-puberty stage through the tradition of bacha posh despite the traditional constraints to switch back to their gender at birth. This analysis of bacha posh characters in Ukmina Manoori’s I Am a Bacha Posh and Zarghuna Kargar’s Bakhtawara’s Story attempts to demonstrate how the bacha posh tradition develops the potential for transgression in Afghan girls, fostering a resistance to traditional gender roles. In doing so, this paper challenges and rebuts Western feminist views regarding Afghan women, who are stereotyped as incapable, voiceless, and …

Parameters Autumn 2022, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Why America’S Army Can’T Win America’S Wars, John A. Nagl

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Since achieving victory in World War II, the United States military has a less than enviable combat record in irregular warfare. Through a detailed historical analysis, this article provides perspective on where past decisions and doctrines have led to defeat and where they may have succeeded if given more time or executed differently. In doing so, it provides lessons for future Army engagements and argues that until America becomes proficient in irregular warfare, our enemies will continue to fight us at the lower levels of the spectrum of conflict, where they have a good chance of exhausting our will to …

From The Editor In Chief, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Pulling Out Of Afghanistan, Suzanne Riskin

be Still

This piece was written on a casual day at work when there was not any particular event happening. I realized how much of an impact a decision made so far away from home could have on my personal growth as a medical educator.

The Evolution Of Hybrid Warfare: Implications For Strategy And The Military Profession, Ilmari Käihkö

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

The concept of hybrid war has evolved from operational-level use of military means and methods in war toward strategic-level use of nonmilitary means in a gray zone below the threshold of war. This article considers this evolution and its implications for strategy and the military profession by contrasting past and current use of the hybrid war concept and raising critical questions for policy and military practitioners.

Coin Doctrine Is Wrong, M. Chris Mason

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Counterinsurgency does not increase the legitimacy of, or support for, central governments engaged in internal conflicts. Recent research shows quantifiable degrees of government legitimacy, national identity, and population security are necessary precursors and accurate predictors of a government’s ability to outlast a civil uprising. Because the first two predictors—government legitimacy and national identity—can be measured and do not increase during a conflict, the probability of government failure in most cases can be accurately predicted when the conflict starts.

Flee, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Flee (2021), directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen.

Parameters Winter 2020, Usawc Parameters

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Vital-Historical And Eternal Themes In Khaled Hosseini’S Novels, Dilnoza Ruzmatova Phd Student

Philology Matters

In the study of literature the themes of fiction are divided into vital-historical and eternal themes. Vital-historical themes refer to the conditions resulted in character upbringing in the socio-historical situation and they can’t exist outside of this certain time and place. The eternal themes indicate the repeated events in all the periods of all the nations. The combination of several themes in one work is expressed in literary studies with the concept of “thematic”. When faced with such a situation, one or two major themes may be separated, and the rest should be explored as secondary. The objective of this …

Alternative Forms Of Resistance: Afghan Women Negotiating For Change, Sara N. Amin, Nazifa Alizada

Journal of International Women's Studies

In this paper we examine how Afghan women resist, strategize and negotiate family and societal constraints to take advantage of the expanding education and employment opportunities in the post-Taliban era. We focus on how these women exercise agency and what resources they mobilize to maximize their opportunities in the face of potential constraints. We argue that to understand women’s agency and changing gendered power relations in the family, it is crucial to examine every day individual behaviors that deviate from prescribed dominant gender behavior and infuse altered meanings to dominant gendering discourses. Our research highlights that gendered power is partial, …

The Role Of Afghanistan In Diplomacy Of Bukhara Еmirate (Xviii-Xix Centuries), Jakhongir Gulmurodovich Zaripov, Asrorogli Akhmadov Akhmadjon

Scientific reports of Bukhara State University

In this article, in foreign policy of Emirate of Bukhara the place and role of neighbor Afghanistan are written. The history of both countries in XVIII-XIX centuries is analyzed with literatures and sources. One aspect of the relationship between the two countries is in the form of trade, which we see has increased in the following centuries. The second aspect is based on political interests, in which the interests of the emirs of both countries collide.

The Role Of Symbols In “The Kite Runner” By Khaled Hosseini, Gulhayо Achilova Researcher

Philology Matters

The main focus of this research work is to analyze the symbols and their role in interpreting the novel “The Kite Runner” by Afghan-born American writer Khaled Hosseini who has widely used artistic signs in his novel. With the help of symbols the essence of the work has been conveyed to the reader through the sensitivity of artistic principles. The symbols in the novel were analyzed being divided into categories as characters, places, things and complex symbols. The introduction of the symbols in the novel, as the secret information of the author to the reader, is a masterpiece of the …

Norway's Lessons, Harald Hoiback

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues Norway’s minor role in the Afghanistan War (2001–14) included opportunities to learn about the evolution of military deployments over the course of a prolonged counterinsurgency-focused conflict, the civilian and military dynamics, and the political challenges of contributing to such a conflict.

Denmark's Lessons, Sten Rynning

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues despite opportunities to learn valuable strategic lessons from Denmark’s effort in the Afghanistan War (2001–14), Danish civil authorities implemented a comprehensive approach policy that failed to establish a bridge to lessons learned by the military. Denmark’s experience in the Afghanistan War demonstrates promises and perils of lessons learned processes.

Educating Strategic Lieutenants At Sandhurst, An Jacobs

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article examines how well military education at the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst delivers lieutenants capable of coping with the complexities of their operational environment and the strategic implications of their decisions.

Aggression Or Desperation: Reevaluating The Soviet Motivations For Invading Afghanistan, Kyle Sallee

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The pervading historical viewpoint of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 has centered on the notion of Soviet expansionism and aggression. Yet recently declassified Soviet documents offer new insights into the motivations for the invasion and necessitate the review of existing historic accounts of the Russo-Afghan War. Utilizing declassified Politburo memos, secret Soviet letters and telegrams, and news reports, this essay sheds light on the heated debate amongst the Soviet intelligentsia over its Afghanistan policy and questions the Western interpretations and responses to the invasion.

Narratives Of Agency: Women, Islam, And The Politics Of Economic Participation In Afghanistan, Farhana Rahman

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper analyzes Afghan businesswomen’s experiences and their attempts at engaging in the economic sector, and the manner in which they have navigated political, social, and cultural impediments to build and sustain economic enterprises, to reclaim agency in the post-Taliban era. Through in-depth interviews with three Afghan businesswomen in conjunction with observations of their daily lives, this discussion explores how Afghan businesswomen negotiate between international discourses on women’s employment and work, and hyper-conservative values of Afghan society that prevent women from accessing economic opportunities. The businesswomen highlighted in this paper legitimize their place in economic participation and employment, in many …

A War That Never Ends: Internal Conflicts, External Interventions, And The Civil Wars In Afghanistan, Chang-Dae David Hyun

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

About the author:

Chang-Dae David Hyun received his H.B.A with a concentration in political science from the University of Toronto in 2017. He was a Winner of Kathleen & William Davis Scholarship and Saul & Lois Rae Scholarship at the University College. He received a full scholarship from the Tsinghua University of China during the summer of 2017. He was a former sergeant from the Republic of Korea Air Force (2007-2010).

Avoiding Nation-Building: From Nixon To Trump, Dominic Tierney

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Khaled Hosseini’S A Thousand Splendid Suns As A Child-Rescue And Neo-Orientalist Narrative, Abdullah M. Al-Dagamseh, Olga Golubeva

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In their article "Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns as a Child-Rescue and Neo-Orientalist Narrative" Abdullah Mohammad Dagamseh and Olga Golubeva argue that the novel contrib­utes to hegemonic Eurocentric discourse by showing the superiority and benevolence of the West. In contrast to existing scholarly focus on Hosseini's portrayal of female characters, this article highlights how children of both sexes are represented. The authors' aim is to show how Hosseini's picture of children affected by war contributes to the neo-Orientalist and child-rescue discourses, jus­tifying the foreign involvement in Afghanistan's internal affairs. Moreover, Dagamseh and Golubeva argue that the use of universal …

Immunity In Contingency Operations: A Proposal For Us Contractors, Ellen "Elle" Klein

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Ends+Ways+Means=(Bad) Strategy, Jeffrey W. Meiser

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Nation-Building Is An Oxymoron, M. Chris Mason

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Economic Empowerment: An Avenue To Gender Equality In Afghanistan, Heather C. Odell

Global Tides

This paper examines the state of women’s rights in Afghanistan, recommending economic empowerment as the most effective and culturally sensitive tool in achieving gender equality. Women’s rights in Afghanistan came to the forefront of the international community’s attention following the entry of the United States armed forces in 2001. Media outlets highlighted the Taliban’s egregious treatment of women and government agencies and international NGOs poured into the country with aims of liberating women from oppressive circumstances. While significant strides have been made since the Taliban's fall from power, in many ways, women today remain subordinate. Over a decade later, women …

An Interview With David H.Petraeus, General (Usa Retired), Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Has The United States Lost The Ability To Fight A Major War?, Steven Metz

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Feminist Legal Theory As A Way To Explain The Lack Of Progress Of Women’S Rights In Afghanistan: The Need For A State Strength Approach, Isaac Kfir

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

Cultural and religious practices are critical to explaining Afghanistan’s dreadful reputation concerning the preservation, protection, and promotion of women’s rights. Those advocating misogynistic practices assert that the calls for reforms challenge their religion and culture, while also claiming that many women’s issues exist within the private realm. Accordingly, they assert that reforms that aim at addressing disempowerment are not vital to the state and go beyond the established limits of state authority. Building on feminist legal theory, which distinguishes between the public and private spheres, I argue in Afghanistan misogynistic and discriminatory practices stem from contrived cultural and religious norms. …

Reforming The Afghan Security Forces, Daniel Glickstein, Michael Spangler

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.