Echoes of victims call out to us over television or even twitter with bloodied images of civilians suffering. Those with empathy want to stop it. There is vast appeal for a fast fantasy of firepower solution. I sing along with Canadian Bruce Cockburn's song "If I had a...

Recent news of US troops burning copies of the Qur'an in Afghanistan sparked protests and fueled violence. In response, US President Barack Obama apologized and US military leaders in Afghanistan announced that all foreign troops will receive training on how to handle religious materials. This current crisis signals the need...

Bonn, Germany - Bonn's Beethoven Hall usually hosts violin, cello and bass players. From 2-3 December the stage supported Afghan engineers, university professors, media professionals and leaders from human rights, women's rights and Afghan NGOs harmonising their voices at the Afghan Civil Society Forum.

These Afghan calls for a just...

This week I am traveling to Bonn, Germany to hear Afghan civil society leaders share their vision of a way forward just as the U.S. Senate speeds up a plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Reconciliation is one of many issues on the agenda at...

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the 2001 U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. With the assassination of the head of the Afghan Peace Council Berhanuddin Rabbani a few weeks ago, and data showing increased violence against civilians in 2011, it is hard to be optimistic....

In the days after 9/11, my colleague and I wrote a short article outlining A Long Term Strategy for American Security detailing ways the U.S. could respond to this crisis. But without any real public deliberation or contemplation, the U.S. rolled out the Global War on Terror playbook...

As a foreigner visiting Pakistan, this weekend's protests in Peshawar against U.S. drones remind me of prior Pakistani calls for sovereignty and independence.

On April 23, 1930, British troops opened fire on peaceful Muslim protestors in Peshawar in a vigil to gain their independence from British colonial powers. Eighty...

Do we use development funds and diplomacy to bend hearts and minds toward political leaders abroad, giving the U.S. short-term access to natural resources or protecting geopolitical interests related to global power dynamics? Or are development and diplomacy fundamentally about building a shared vision of freedom, participatory governance, and human...

The American "We know best" attitude favoring President Mubarak's continued reign contradicts the evidence that Egyptians favor "change" over "stability."

Egypt isn't the only place where US policy dances between a ruthless rigid "stability" and a chaotic "change" featuring riots and street violence.

In Afghanistan, the US articulates a...

There was a "war of symbols" this week with people in every corner of the world discussing what is sacred. From a conflict resolution point of view, these events offer opportunities for reconciliation.

The war of symbols started with right-wing pundits claiming an Islamic Center is a symbol of terrorism,...

The deaths of ten humanitarian workers this week in a remote region of Afghanistan underscore the unique but silent work done by American citizens not serving in government or military.

Glen Lapp, one of those killed with the International Assistance Mission (IAM) team of medics, was my host in...

Here on the dusty streets of Kabul, the recent Supreme Court decision prohibiting nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from teaching negotiation and peacebuilding to members of the Taliban because it is deemed "aiding and abetting a terrorist organization" doesn't make sense. I expected some loss of freedom as an American in a...

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will unveil new reconciliation efforts with the Taliban at this week's London Conference on Afghanistan's political future. After US President Barack Obama's announcement of another troop surge last month, Afghans have been asking: "Where is the diplomatic surge to address the root causes of Afghanistan's turmoil?"

U.S. policymakers should articulate a comprehensive military, diplomatic and development approach to Afghanistan. Too much public discussion in the U.S. focuses on military troop levels in Afghanistan rather than a more comprehensive U.S. diplomatic and development strategy. This article lays out missing or under-emphasized elements of U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

By Saira Yamin and Lisa Schirch
Common Ground News Service

WASHINGTON -- During her recent visit to Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized the need to foster a relationship of respect between the United States and Pakistan. Although Pakistan's civilian government and military establishment are closely...

No matter the outcome of President Obama's deliberations about US strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the tactic of using unmanned drone strikes should be taken off the table. The many costs of disrupting Al Qaeda and the Taliban via drone strikes outweigh the benefits.

Some experts say drone strikes...