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Counterinsurgency

After Detroit Near-Attack, Is Afghan Strategy The Right One?

Jon Soltz | Posted 01.01.2010 | Politics

Read More: Obama Afghanistan, Yemen, Troops, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Afghanistan, Counter-Terrorism, President Obama, Yemen Terrorism, Counterinsurgency, Afghanistan War, Al Qaeda, Politics News
Jon Soltz

Why are we sending nearly every Marine and Soldier we have to Afghanistan, when Abdulmutallab and a Somali man arrested for plotting a similar attack last month apparently had no real connection to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan?

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Graphic Shows Complexity Of US Counterinsurgency In Afghanistan

Checkpoint Kabul | McClatchy | Dion Nissenbaum | Posted 12.22.2009 | World

Read More: Afghan War, Coin, Afghanistan, Kabul, Poppies, Drugs, Taliban, Hamid Karzai, Taleban, Counterinsurgency, World News

For a good example of how difficult it will be for the US military to regain the momentum in Afghanistan, check out this graphic on the military count...

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Judah the Maccabee's Five Lessons for Barack Obama

Aaron Zelinsky | Posted 12.11.2009 | World

Read More: Corruption, Freedom-Tower-Construction, Kabul-Mayor, Rome, Maccabees, Afghanistan, George W. Bush, President Obama, Kabul, Story of Chanukah, Menorah, Afghanistan Corruption, Story-of-Chanukah, Antiochus, Osama Bin Laden, Afghanistan War, Chanukah, Greece, Dead-or-Alive, Freedom Tower, Judah Maccabee, Counterinsurgency, Afghanistan-Counterinsurgency, Orin Hatch, Orin Hatch Chanukah Song, Somalia, Two-State Solution, Israel, Hannukah, World News
Aaron Zelinsky

From the story of Chanukah, we see how not to fight a guerrilla insurgency. From the Maccabees, we learn how to rally a people and a nation. Here are Chanukah's five geopolitical lessons.

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Caution: Surge Ahead ... and Slide Back

Randall Amster | Posted 12.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Iraq War, Obama Afghanistan, Obama War in Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Afghanistan Surge, Coke, Video Games, Counterinsurgency, Afghanistan War, Wikipedia, Politics News
Randall Amster

It seems that we've taken yet another step backward with this new headlong offensive aimed at "peace and prosperity" -- and no amount of linguistic manipulation toward "forward movement" can effectively counter that actuality.

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Afghan Policy Remains in the Dark Ages

Patricia DeGennaro | Posted 12.07.2009 | World

Read More: Obama Afghanistan, US Military, Military, War on Terror, National Security, Afghanistan Surge, War in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Afghan War, President Obama, US Foreign Policy, Counterinsurgency, Barack Obama, Us Troops Afghanistan, Afghan Taliban, Afghanistan War, World News
Patricia DeGennaro

For our part, it is time to shift America's focus away from a power that peddles so many deadly weapons to one that fosters economic growth, entrepreneurial ventures and positive creativity.

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Iraq-Afghanistan Surge Analogies Mask Risks Of Afghanistan

New York Times | DAVID E. SANGER | Posted 12.05.2009 | Politics

Read More: Surge, Bush, Afghanistan Surge, Afghanistan, George W. Bush, Pakistan, Native, Analysis, Anbar Awakening, Taliban, Iraq, Counterinsurgency, Foreign Fighters, Politics News

In fact, Iraq analogies have been flying back and forth so furiously in recent days that Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, the only holdover from ...

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Anthropology Association Condemns Work with U.S. Counterinsurgency

Jeff Stein | Posted 12.03.2009 | World

Read More: Africom, Cia, Counterterrorism, Centcom, Anthropology, Social Science, Spying, Military-Intelligence, Espionage, Counterinsurgency, Afghanistan War, Paccom, U.S. Army, World News
Jeff Stein

Anthropologists should not be helping U.S. military forces gather information about Afghan villagers and their way of life, a study commission sponsored by their academic organization said today.

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Obama's War: The Next Best Steps in Afghanistan?

Patricia DeGennaro | Posted 12.02.2009 | World

Read More: Gen. Stanley McCrystal, Afghanistan Surge, War in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, President Barack Obama, Afghan War, US Aid, War, West Point, State Department, Afganistan, U.S. Military, Gen-Stanley-Mccrystal, Afghan Taliban, Us Troops Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, World News
Patricia DeGennaro

Both military and civilian leaders need to revisit their management and cooperation efforts, and better define their "jobs" if any progress is to be made.

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The Best Defense In Afghanistan Is Good Governance

Sen. Ted Kaufman | Posted 11.24.2009 | World

Read More: Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, Ted Kaufman, World News
Sen. Ted Kaufman

At this critical juncture, we must hold the Afghan government accountable for its actions and urge renewed leadership, determination, and resolve. The Afghan people have a vision for peace and security.

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US Seeks Up To 7,000 More NATO Troops For Afghan War

Wall Street Journal | PETER SPIEGEL and STEPHEN FIDLER | Posted 11.21.2009 | World

Read More: Uk, Afghanistan Surge, Afghanistan, Troop Levels, Kabul, Italy, Diplomacy, Hamid Karzai, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Foreign Policy, Afghan War, Mcchrystal, Insurgency, Nato, Obama Troop Decision, White House, Barack Obama, Germany, South Waziristan, Stanley McChrystal, Counterinsurgency, World News

U.S. and European estimates of the new troops they may get from NATO allies vary from 3,000 to 7,000. Those would complement the additional U.S. force...

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An Interview With Matthew Hoh

Derrick Crowe | Posted 11.21.2009 | World

Read More: Al-Qaida, Rethink Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, Coin, Richard Holbrooke, Matthew Hoh, Taliban, Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, World News
Derrick Crowe

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.

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A Call for Clarity on Afghanistan

Peter Henne | Posted 11.19.2009 | World

Read More: General Mcchrystal, Afghanistan Surge, Counterterrorism, Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, Obama Foreign Policy, World News
Peter Henne

Whatever the President decides, he must rhetorically prepare the public for the costs of his Afghanistan strategy, a feat that cannot be accomplished until he clearly differentiates the two approaches to this war.

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Building Confidence Between the US and Pakistan

Lisa Schirch | Posted 11.12.2009 | World

Read More: Humanitarian Crisis, Diplomacy, Confidence, Humanitarian Aid, Counterinsurgency, Pakistan, World News
Lisa Schirch

In Pakistan, the United States must ensure that policies, actions and resources focus on population-centric security and a community-based approach to policing.

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An Open Letter to President Obama About Afghanistan From William R. Polk

The Nation | Posted 11.11.2009 | World

Read More: Russia, Afghanistan War, Nato, Afghan Election, Tribes, Durand Line, Kabul, Middle East, Taliban, Policy, Hamid Karzai, Afghan War, Chicago, Afghan Strategy, Un, South Waziristan, Soviet Union, Pentagon, Britain, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Troop Levels, Terrorism, Pashtun, Foreign Policy, Kashmir, Insurgency, Al Qaida, State Department, Pashtunwali, Soviet Afghan War, Counterinsurgency, World News

I was an early supporter of yours. So I hope you will accept the following analysis and proposals as being from a friend as well as a person with cons...

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Why A Maximalist Af-Pak Policy Will Not Work

Lionel Beehner | Posted 11.10.2009 | World

Read More: Tamil Tigers, Andrew Bacevich, Sri Lanka, Af-Pak, Obama, Maximalist, Counterinsurgency, Minimalist, Foreign Policy, Obama Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, Afghanistan War, World News
Lionel Beehner

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.

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Obama's (In)Decision on Afghanistan

Malou Innocent | Posted 11.10.2009 | World

Read More: Obama Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, Afghan War, Afghanistan War, World News
Malou Innocent

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.

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Of Jedi Knights, Death Stars, and Afghanistan

William Astore | Posted 11.09.2009 | World

Read More: Star Wars, World, U.S. Military, War in Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Jedi, Us Troops Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, World News
William Astore

Can one truly be both Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, both cunning and courteous Jedi Knight and Dark Lord of imperial power projection?

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Obama Faces Revolt From Generals Over Strategy In Afghanistan

Rolling Stone | Robert Dreyfuss | Posted 11.04.2009 | Politics

Read More: Pentagon, White House, Afghanistan, Obama War in Afghanistan, War in Afghanistan, Troop Levels, General David Petraeus, Obama, Joe Biden, Taliban, Sen. John McCain, Barack Obama, Al Qaeda, Obama's War, Biden, Insurgency, The-Institute-for-the-Study-of-War, Counterinsurgency Field Manual, Petraeus, General Stanley McChrystal, Counterinsurgency, Us Troops Afghanistan, Politics News

In early October, as President Obama huddled with top administration officials in the White House situation room to rethink America's failing strategy...

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5 British Troops Killed By Afghan Cop, Says UK Military

AP | ELENA BECATOROS and DEB RIECHMANN | Posted 11.04.2009 | World

Read More: Uk, Afghan National Security Forces, Voter Fraud, Karzai, Afghan Election, Afghanistan, Afghan, Kabul, Nad-E-Ali District, Helmand, Afghan Cops, Taliban, Hamid Karzai, Mcchrystal, Insurgency, Kandahar, Nato, Un, Stanley McChrystal, Counterinsurgency, Afghan Police, World News

KABUL — The killing of five British troops by a rogue Afghan policeman underlines concerns about training and discipline within the ranks and po...

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Taliban Claims That Canceled Afghan Election Proves Its Success

AP | ROBERT H. REID and KATHY GANNON | Posted 11.04.2009 | World

Read More: Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai, Afghanistan War, Afghanistan, Terrorism, Pakistan, Kabul, White House, Obama, Taliban, Afghan Election, Insurgency, Runoff, Un, Counterinsurgency, World News

KABUL — President Hamid Karzai promised to stamp out corruption. The image suggested otherwise. Standing at Karzai's side on Tuesday were his tw...

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Basic Truths in Hoh Resignation Letter Were True When He Took His Job

David Quigg | Posted 10.30.2009 | World

Read More: Andrew Bacevich, President Obama, Andrew Sullivan, Garrison Keillor, George W. Bush, 9/11, Matthew Hoh, United States, State Department, Hoh Resignation, Barack Obama, Troops, Andrew Exum, Afghanistan War, Politics News, Steve Coll, Rory Stewart, Counterinsurgency, Richard Holbrooke, Michael Semple, Warwire, Military, Washington Post, Afghanistan, Christopher Buckley, Terrorism, Counterterrorism, World News
David Quigg

The basic grim truths that Matthew Hoh wrote about in his much-quoted resignation letter were all basically true when he took his job a few months ago.

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The CIA, The Brothers Karzai and Spinning our COIN Wheels

Richard Allen Smith | Posted 10.28.2009 | World

Read More: Hamid Karzai, Durgs, Nato, Coin, Cia, Poppy, Afghanistan, Opium, Andew Exum, Counterinsurgency, Ahmed Wali Karzai, World News
Richard Allen Smith

We are partnering with a symbol of government corruption, which undermines any trust we might receive from the population. We are funding the insurgency we are attempting to counter.

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Senator Kerry Finds A War With Which He Can Flirt

Derrick Crowe | Posted 10.28.2009 | World

Read More: Ann Jones, Coin, Mcchrystal, John Kerry, Paul Pillar, Matthew Hoh, Afghanistan, Andrew Wilder, Karzai, Counterinsurgency, Abdullah, World News
Derrick Crowe

If you're looking for the man who once asked, "how do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" you better keep looking. The senator seems to have left him behind.

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The Winner of the Afghan Election: Electoral Fraud

Derrick Crowe | Posted 10.21.2009 | World

Read More: Petraeus, U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual, Rethink Afghanistan, Mcchrystal, Afghanistan, U.S. Army, Karzai, Counterinsurgency, Abdullah, Coin, Nagl, World News
Derrick Crowe

We can now stand back in awe as the unpunished perpetrators of massive election fraud vie for control of the criminal enterprise called the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

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A Regional Summit on the War in Afghanistan?

Hoyt Hilsman | Posted 10.15.2009 | World

Read More: President Obama, Colin Powell, Isi, Pakistan, Summit, South Asia, Iraq, Diplomacy, China, Al Qaeda, Afghanistan War, Bush, Us Troops Afghanistan, Russia, Stanley McChrystal, Taliban, India, Afghanistan, Counterinsurgency, World News
Hoyt Hilsman

A lengthy and focused counterinsurgency effort might eventually produce results, but its chances of success are greatly diminished by the political climate in Afghanistan.

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