Best Defense in Afghanistan is Good Governance

Sen. Ted Kaufman, 11.24.2009

As President Obama prepares to announce his new strategy in Afghanistan, it is vital to note that success or failure will not be determined by our mil...

Senator Cardin on Afghanistan and "the War on Terror"

Kathleen Wells, J.D., 11.24.2009

A blogger on politics and law who draws upon her political science and legal background

Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) is a member of the important Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a member of the Judiciary Committee, where he chair...

By Sending More Troops To Afghanistan, Obama Will Enable The GOP's Revival

Jason Rosenbaum, 11.24.2009

Activist living in Washington, DC

Republicans are poised to cement their complete opposition to everything Obama and reap a huge political win by twisting their political principles to oppose further escalation of troops in Afghanistan.

Tony Blair's Cautionary Tale For Obama

William Bradley, 11.24.2009

California-based Political Analyst NewWestNotes.com

Under Blair, Britain "modernized" as "Cool Britannia," and indicators on the economy, the environment, and crime improved. Then came Iraq, the war too far.

The Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan Through CIA Eyes: Lessons for the United States Today

Bennett Ramberg, Ph.D., 11.24.2009

Nuclear proliferation and terrorism expert

History suggests that when internal political dysfunction overwhelms external attempts at stabilization, getting out sooner rather than later is in the best interest of an occupying power.

A Roadmap for 2010 DADT Repeal

Aubrey Sarvis, 11.24.2009

Executive Director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

President Obama has said he would sign legislation overturning the ban on gays in the military. Here's a roadmap to make sure that happens in 2010. ...

On Second Thought

Chez Pazienza, 11.23.2009

Editor of Deus Ex Malcontent, Author, Ex-Network News Producer, New Media Consultant

Obama is certainly wonky enough to get hamstrung by his own intellect, but have we regressed to the point where we can't tolerate a few weeks of careful consideration before he makes a choice?

Breaking the Silence on America's Third War

Rahim Kanani, 11.23.2009

Research Associate, Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Harvard University

If the United States is truly interested in protecting innocent Americans from being killed, a national discussion about the nation's treatment toward its women should be a top priority for the country moving forward.

Obama, the Teabaggers and Foreign Policy

Leon T. Hadar, 11.23.2009

Journalist and foreign affairs analyst

As Obama contemplates a new strategy for Afghanistan, he should consider integrating the conservative values of fiscal discipline and limited government into his foreign policy decision-making.

Vets Battle Unemployment and War Injuries

Aaron Glantz, 11.23.2009

Author, The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans

Recently discharged vets are joining the swelling ranks of the country's unemployed. They bring to the job hunt both special skills and training and, often, the terrible traumas and injuries of their military experiences.

Emergency Roadside Service

Jonathan Richards, 11.23.2009

www.jonrichardsplace.com

Dick Cheney may no longer have the vice-bully pulpit, but it's good to know that he hasn't lost the knack of being a bully. Rule number one: blame someone else.

Sarah Palin, Fill Out this Map!

Mark Olmsted, 11.23.2009

Writer, Ex-Con, Anti-Litter Crusader, www.thetrashwhisperer.blogspot.com

Our current Free World Leader, Oprah Winfrey, is set to resign in 2011. If Sarah Palin wants to replace her (that is her plan, right?) she's going to have to know certain things.

As Washington Talks Iraq Withdrawal, the Pentagon Builds Up Bases in the Region

Nick Turse, 11.22.2009

Associate Editor, TomDispatch.com

Washington is sending tremendous amounts of military material into autocratic Middle Eastern nations and building-up bases in countries whose governments often prefer that no publicity be given to the growing American military "footprint."

Letter From London

Murray Fromson, 11.22.2009

Fromsonfile.com

It is amazing how a presidential junket and the meanderings of a silly little woman with pretensions to the White House can bump a war off the front pages or as the lead stories of broadcast news.

Déjà Vu in Afghanistan

Markus Ziener, 11.22.2009

Hamid Karzai tolerates corruption, accommodates warlords, is not doing enough against drug trafficking and looks the other way when it comes to the Taliban.

Bad Math in Afghanistan: Deaths vs. Compensation

Sarah Holewinski, 11.21.2009

Executive director of Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC).

Nobody's manning the calculator at NATO. War never delivers clean numbers, but no matter how you look at these, something doesn't add up.

The War on Evidence-Based Medicine - 60,000 Needless Casualties

Michael B. Laskoff, 11.22.2009

"...content against obedience..." ––W.S.

This week saw what happens when an ugly little thing like empirical evidence collides with what might best be called faith-based health consumerism, which dictates that more is always better.

An Interview With Matthew Hoh

Derrick Crowe, 11.21.2009

Five-year Capitol Hill veteran, Creating a Culture of Peace nonviolence facilitator

If Matthew Hoh could tell you one thing to help you understand the United States' predicament in Afghanistan, it's that the presence of our ground combat troops is not doing anything to defeat al Qaeda.

Foreign Affairs Roundup

Christopher Herbert and Victoria Kataoka Rebuffet, 11.20.2009

Editors of Simple Intelligence

The Past Two Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs: Increased Tension Over Iran's Program SI Analysis: After an IAEA report suggests that Iran's rece...

Obama Must Dump The Bums In Treasury, End The Wars And Start Leading

Dave Lindorff, 11.20.2009

Veteran investigative journalist

The problem with these stimulus programs is that they are inefficient ways to create and preserve jobs. This has to be the lamest economic thinking since Hoover started tightening the screws at the onset of the Great Depression.

The New Bagram: Has Anything Changed?

Jonathan Horowitz, 11.20.2009

Consultant, Open Society Institute

Having toured it, I give the new Bagram detention facility a "vastly improved" grade compared to what it was before. But, that being said, U.S. detention policy still has a long way to go.