By Major Matt Cavanaugh

On March 26, 2015, the University of Utah’s Center for Peace & Conflict Studies and the Hinckley Institute of Politics sponsored three others (listed above) and I to debate this proposition: was the war in Afghanistan worth it? I spoke in support; I made the argument, that, to my mind, the war in Afghanistan was worth the effort.

To more broadly share the experience with others, I’m posting my personal notes along with the video footage. I’ll also list the times I spoke and which notecard applies, in order to synchronize the voice and notes in order to better support others interested in making similar arguments.

I take these steps because I think this is an incredibly valuable conversation: what is (this) war worth? What is worth fighting for? The answers to those questions for Afghanistan matter greatly as they will shape how we view the next war.

*Update: audio via Utah Public Radio available here.

*From 3:30 – 4:30: Introduction and Disclaimer

*From 9:25 – 14:25: See Notecards “Strategic 1” and “Strategic 2”

*From 28:20 – 30:50: See Notecard “Moral 1”

*From 51:30 – 55:00: See Notecard “Strategic 3” (at top of card)

*From 1:03:00 – 1:06:15: See Notecard “Strategic 3” (bottom part of card)

*The final two cards are a list of prepared counterarguments at large.