Small decisions – unforeseen results in military commitments to international operations

How do small military missions turn into big ones? How do small national military commitments turn into big ones? Concerning NATOs ISAF mission in Afghanistan, it has been argued that the engagement was less the result of deliberate policy than the cumulative and unwilled outcome of a series of small decisions, in accordance with Lindblom’s “disjointed incrementalism” perspective. In this perspective, policy is shaped by a fragmented decision-making process, where numerous smaller decisions add up to “policy”. Decisions are taken in response to specific demands and pressures, but largely detached from broader policy or an overarching strategy. The purpose of this article is to offer a partial examination of whether the argument can be extended to national military commitments to protracted international operations, assessing its ability to explain the evolution of the Norwegian-led ISAF PRT – PRT Meymaneh in northwestern Faryab province.