Gopal states that the United States chose to invade Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to surrender Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 attacks. Do you believe this was the right decision for U.S. leaders to make? Consider both the perspective of Americans directly following 9/11 and our current perspective given how the war has progressed.

This question encourages students to understand the motivations behind the U.S. decision to invade Afghanistan and put that decision in historical context. It also challenges them to critically evaluate that decision.

The author’s overarching argument is that America’s misunderstanding of Afghan society led to its failure to fully stabilize the country. What could have been done to ensure the U.S. officials had a better understanding of Afghanistan? What other conditions led to U.S. failure? How could those have been resolved?

This challenges students to evaluate U.S. policy...