The reality of Obama’s 2008 campaign promises: a case study of the Afghan poppy trade

Abstract

The biggest pillar of President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008 was change. One specific aspect of that change concerned the situation of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Obama was ready to win the war and bring American soldiers home. However, 19 years after the first invasion, the U.S. is still present in Afghanistan. That is why this thesis explores the changes that Obama wanted to bring in American policy in Afghanistan and how these changes turned out: ‘In what ways has Obama kept his 2008 campaign promises to do things differently regarding American policy in Afghanistan in comparison to President George W. Bush?’ Using content analysis of speeches, academic literature, official reports, and the ‘Afghanistan Papers’, it looks closely at promises that Obama made during his campaign and compares these to his policies and results once he became president. The thesis concludes that Obama did change American policies in Afghanistan but was not able to achieve some of his goals due to corruption and inept understanding of the Afghan society. The administration did not account for the differences between Afghan and U.S. society and tried to project the American approach on Afghanistan unsuccessfully.