Did the post-Cold War belief that states would only fight wars they chose survive the September 11 attacks?
Short answerNo. Afghanistan was a response compelled by attack because bombing alone would not remove a dispersed hostile network.
NotesThe discussion challenges the post-Cold War assumption that major Western operations would always be wars of choice. After the September 11 attacks, the United States could either leave the attacking network in place or enter Afghanistan to disrupt it. Bombing alone would not prevent dispersed fighters from disappearing and returning, so some form of intervention became a response to attack rather than a freely selected expedition. The force-planning lesson is that a government cannot assume it will control when, where, or why the next war begins. Fleet and escort plans built around wholly optional conflicts can fail after a strategic shock.