Afghanistan
The United States trumpets education as one of its shining successes of the war in Afghanistan. But a BuzzFeed News investigation reveals U.S. claims were often outright lies, as the government peddled numbers it knew to be false and touted schools that have never seen a single student.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Most Democrats want to get U.S. troops the hell out of Afghanistan (outside of Official Washington, most Republicans agree.) But, the story goes, these Democrats have to have an "alternative," and the "alternative" is drone strikes.
The pool was already empty by then. Some people where brought down into the basin and shot against the blue walls. Others were taken up the highest diving board and thrown off.
Negotiated settlement could well be the most important part of the 2012 reelection campaign. Getting negotiations underway and reporting genuine results could deliver an election-decider to Obama, because it could mean an earlier withdrawal.
Westerners have tended to view the Taliban as a monolithic organization in thrall to Islamic dogma. In reality they are a fluid, revolutionary movement that encompasses a strikingly wide spectrum of religious opinion.
In the past, Afghanistan has been home to Zoroastrian, Hindu, Buddhist, as well as Muslim communities. All these traditions flourished in harmony -- until the 20th century.