War on Terror: How Bush used the War in Afghanistan to Expand His Crusade

This paper explores the reasoning behind the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan. I argue that the US entered Afghanistan in order to expand Bush’s war on terror. Afghanistan had the necessary state actors and those state actors had an explicit relationship with another. The presence of those actors and their unique relationship gave the Bush adminstration the opportunity to expand the war on terror through the establishment of a legal framework and a supportive media narrative. Overall, Bush went into Afghanistan to not only respond to the 9/11 attacks but to also increase the capacity of a campaign central to his doctrine and ultimately his legacy