In the aftermath of 9/11, Washington was intent on striking Al Qaida in Afghanistan immediately. At the time the Pentagon was in chaos due to the strike of American Airlines 77; however, there was a very strong relationship between the British Army officer in charge of commitments in the Ministry of Defence and his US counterpart. As a result we were invited to submit a paper that travelled over with the Prime Minister, who joined the US President a week after what is still the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed against British people.
The one big idea that came from London in the immediate aftermath was to build a coalition, rather than going alone as some Washington Hawks were suggesting. You can see this important contribution reading between the lines of the White House Press Secretary’s announcement in the George Bush archives https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010917-9.html
At the time, we estimated that it would take at least twenty years to reintegrate Afghanistan into the international community, but that was before the Bush administration decided to use 9/11 as an excuse to invade Iraq.
The same dilemma that faced George Bush after 9/11 (and Barack Obama ten years later over Libya) is now facing President Trump. To succeed in the war with Iran, the USA needs a strong international coalition, but the reality now is very different to September 2001, when the whole world sympathised with America. The past three months has been characterised as a time when the USA has treated its allies with total disrespect, so it will probably take more than two weeks to build a new alliance from those who live by the Rules.
The one thing I have always admired American planners for is their attention to mathematics. I am sure there are people right now working out the casualty rates and percentages for various options, including assassination. Tomorrow, I will discuss the challenges of this approach and how it was viewed after 9/11.
A Successful Coalition of the Willing
Rupert Wieloch 
Hi Rupert. Your daily commentary is incisive and illuminating as you draw down from historical precedent. Thank you very much for putting in the time â very appreciated! Simon
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