Afghanistan: Buckle Your Seat Belts

Michael Brenner, 11.11.2009

Senior Fellow, the Center for Transatlantic Relations

Rarely has a great power so willfully set itself down the path of self-destruction with so little reason as America has in Afghanistan. This is pathological behavior that cries out for diagnosis and correction.

The Real Red Flag Raised By Fort Hood

David A. Love, 11.11.2009

Writer and human rights advocate based in Philadelphia

As a repository for violence, the military is not dealing with untreated mental illness among its ranks. The fact that Hasan was a mental health professional underscores the problem.

War On Drugs Doesn't Go Well, CIA Bugs DEA Agent's Coffee Table

Allison Kilkenny, 11.11.2009

Radio host, writer, allisonkilkenny.com

The settlement of a 15-year-old lawsuit has resulted in the U.S. agreeing to pay $3 million to a former government worker who accused officials with t...

Fighting a War With Someone Else's Children

Dan Agin, 11.11.2009

Author/Neuroscientist

Fighting any war without the public sacrifice of a universal draft is an unjust misery for military personnel and their families. If war is necessary, if you want war, risk yourself or your children and grandchildren in combat.

A Gift on Veterans Day: Re-Engage Veterans in Service

John Bridgeland, 11.11.2009

America's support for veterans should not stop at the airport gate. How our nation treats its returning veterans says a lot about our gratitude for their service.

Our Veterans Deserve Our Thanks and Our Service

Rep. Joe Sestak, 11.11.2009

U.S. Senate Candidate, 31 Year Navy Veteran

The way we care for our veterans is a reflection of our society. We cannot neglect them in their own time of need, as we did following the Vietnam War.

Veterans Day: Dusty, Faded Surprise

Wendy Block, 11.11.2009

writer, activist, member HuffPo Eyes

I remember him every time a street person asks for money, when a guy holds up a cardboard sign saying something like "Viet Nam vet. Will work for food," when news stories cover soldiers returned from Iraq.

A Hero Remembered

Ryan McDermott, 11.11.2009

Veteran, Investment Banker

Regardless of one's views on the war, it is important to appreciate the service of those in uniform. We are a fortunate country to have such brave and patriotic troops to protect our freedoms.

One Grizzled Veteran's Dream

William Astore, 11.11.2009

Writer, Professor, Retired Lt. Colonel, Air Force

On this Veteran's Day, what if we began to measure our national success and power not by our military arsenal or number of recruits, but rather by the very opposite of that?

Gorbachev's Sermon on the Mount

Robert Scheer, 11.11.2009

Veteran Journalist and Editor of Truthdig.com

When Gorbachev came to power he, like Obama, inherited a war that was not in the interest of his nation. If the response of a Soviet dictator was to end it, might we not be justified in doing the same?

Mothers and Soldiers: Healing the Bonds Destroyed by War

Christian Avard, 11.11.2009

Staff reporter Deerfield Valley News, Dover VT

Susan Galleymore is the author of Long Time Passing: Mothers Speak About War & Terror. She made international headlines as she traveled to Iraq to visit her son stationed in the Sunni Triangle.

Why Military Dreams Fail -- and Why It Doesn't Matter

Tom Engelhardt, 11.10.2009

Editor of TomDispatch.com

Robot war. It just couldn't be cooler, could it? Especially if the only blood you spill is the other guy's, since our "pilots" are flying those planes from thousands of miles away. So why am I not excited?

Deaths at Fort Hood

Louise Farr, 11.10.2009

Former west coast editor of W magazine

The military is a world of its own, and its psychologists and psychiatrists are doing nothing less than attempting to upend an entrenched culture.

Pakistan's Half-hearted Military Offensives Aren't Enough

Saad Khan, 11.10.2009

Social and political activist in Islamabad

The Pakistani military has launched an offensive against the Taliban in the South Waziristan region, but it isn't working. To effectively fend off the militants, a much stronger effort is needed.

Veterans Treatment Courts: A Crucial Reintegration Strategy

James R. Knickman, 11.10.2009

President and Chief Executive Officer of NYSHealth

Our legal system must devise new ways to cope with the veterans in the criminal justice system for nonviolent offenses. The first veterans court, in Buffalo, New York, is already showing results.

Veterans Week 2009: We've Got Your Back

Paul Rieckhoff, 11.11.2009

Exec. Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)

Whether it's amputees, folks struggling with PTSD, outdoor enthusiasts, or just those looking to swap war stories, every vet can find a home on the IAVA's social network for veterans.

20 Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Will Another Superpower Meet Its End in Afghanistan?

Loretta Napoleoni, 11.10.2009

Former Fulbright scholar at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

Remarkably, Afghanistan seems once again to be shaping our future. It is paradoxical that the graveyard of one superpower should become a battlefield for the other.

Why A Maximalist Af-Pak Policy Will Not Work

Lionel Beehner, 11.10.2009

Former senior writer for the Council on Foreign Relations

Let's turn to Afghanistan. There is a weak and corrupt government, little to no standing armed forces, and parts of the country entirely controlled by the Taliban.

Obama's (In)Decision on Afghanistan

Malou Innocent, 11.10.2009

Foreign Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute

Obama's decision on Afghanistan could define his presidency. If an escalating military strategy leads only to thousands of more deaths, then that is a bitter legacy indeed.

Ken Guest Interview (Part 3) -- With Afghanistan, the Devil is in the Details

Kathleen Wells, J.D., 11.10.2009

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

Ken Guest has been immersed in Afghanistan, since the inception of the Soviet - Afghan war. As an expert journalist and analyst, Guest has also cover...

Damning New Memo Compares Afghanistan to Jay Leno Show

Andy Borowitz, 11.10.2009

BorowitzReport.com

A new memo on Afghanistan written by one of Obama's top advisors emphasizes the futility of a continued U.S. military presence there, at one point going so far as to compare the war to Jay Leno Show.