Exit Strategy

The phrase first appeared in a business context as early as 1980, when it was used in reference to investment divestment in the venture capital industry. Its leap into mainstream use came after 1993, when the U.S. military's chaotic withdrawal from Somalia — following the Battle of Mogadishu — made the absence of a clear exit plan a matter of urgent public debate. The concept had already been formalized in military planning through the Weinberger Doctrine of 1984, which required defining an endpoint before committing troops.