CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Prestifilippo, Vittoria |
|---|---|
| Title | Optimism at Fault: Technological Solutionism and Prototype Warfare in the U.S. War in Afghanistan (2001-2002) |
| Summary | During the early stages of the War in Afghanistan, the U.S. military deployed cutting-edge technologies with the promise of achieving faster victories with minimal damage. Yet, despite overwhelming firepower, this approach often led to counterproductive outcomes. Why? This thesis draws on the Science and Technology Studies (STS)-informed concepts of technological solutionism and prototype warfare to investigate how experimental and solutionist logics—embedded in the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA)—shaped battlefield decisions and undermined mission effectiveness during the Battle of Tora Bora and Operation Anaconda. Adopting an interpretive case study methodology based on the triangulation of government reports, declassified documents, journalistic accounts, and military publications, this study shows, first, how prototype warfare practices disrupted operational effectiveness and sabotaged mission objectives at Tora Bora; and second, how the military’s overreliance on technological fixes reflected broader assumptions about the role of technology in compensating for flawed human judgment during Operation Anaconda. Taking an approach that treats technological systems as politically, socially, and historically charged rather than neutral tools, the thesis offers a normative critique of RMA-informed approaches to warfare and highlights the dangers of technological optimism and experimental logics in war. It also emphasizes the need for a deeper examination of today’s emerging military technologies, especially AI-enabled combat systems. Keywords: RMA, Technological Solutionism, Prototype Warfare, United States, Afghanistan |
| Supervisor | Csernatoni, Raluca |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/prestifilippo_vittor.pdf |
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