Hillsdale College Center for Military History and Grand Strategy Hosts Second Annual Conference
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College’s Center for Military History and Grand Strategy hosted its second annual conference from Sept. 8-9. The conference focused on strategic analysis of the Afghanistan War as well as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
“The conference was a great success because its discussion was thoughtful and timely,” said Edward A. Gutiérrez, director of the Hillsdale College Center for Military History and Grand Strategy and assistant professor of history. “It was an honor to host our venerable speakers and guests.”
Following a faculty panel and remarks by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, Ali A. Jalali gave a speech discussing Afghanistan as a case study in tactics and grand strategy. “Grand strategy is the art of developing and applying diverse forms of power in an effective and efficient way to try to purposefully change the relationship existing between two or more intelligent and adoptive entities,” said Jalali, distinguished professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies and former minister of interior of Afghanistan.
Paul Rahe, the Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee chair in Western Heritage, spoke during a panel of military historians about the Afghan War. “If you get into a war that goes on and on and on, it undercuts your morale,” said Rahe. “It has ripples, and they can prevent you from doing something you actually should do. In other words, there can be opposition that develops to a conflict that you should be involved with because the stakes are high, because people are so sick and tired of being drawn into quagmires with no obvious purpose.”
Senior Analyst for the Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth Lester W. Grau spoke on the Soviet-Afghan War, Former Advisor to the Afghan National Army Kevin W. Farrell provided a retrospective on U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, and Distinguished Visiting Fellow in History Victor Davis Hanson gave closing remarks.
The Center for Military History and Grand Strategy is dedicated to the study of warfare with the goal of providing sound understanding and preparedness to both students and citizens. It studies conflicts around the globe both historical and current with the goal of helping scholars, officers, and policymakers to handle current and future global conflicts. The Center’s conferences bring experts together to give lectures on important issues in international conflict.
For photos of the event, click here.