Nato

The "Goldilocks Principle" and Afghan War Options

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 11.09.2009 | Politics


Joseph A. Palermo

General McChrystal's recommendation for more troops and material has a distinctly Westmorelandian flavor to it. If approved, it could create an additional $40 to$80 billion per annum in war costs.

NATO, Afghans Claim To Kill 130 Taliban In Kunduz Province

Reuters | Posted 11.09.2009 | World


NATO and Afghan officials claimed on Monday their forces had killed at least 130 Taliban fighters in a major operation over the past week in an area o...

McClatchy: Obama Leaning Toward 34,000 More Troops For Afghanistan

McClatchy | Jonathan S. Landay | Posted 11.07.2009 | World


President Barack Obama is nearing a decision to send more than 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan next year, but he may not announce it unti...

Afghanistan: 2 NATO Soldiers Missing

AP | AMIR SHAH | Posted 11.07.2009 | World


KABUL — Two American soldiers disappeared in western Afghanistan after a routine resupply mission, and more than 25 NATO and Afghan security for...

5 British Troops Killed By Afghan Cop, Says UK Military

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


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

Think Tank's Advice To Europe: Stop 'Fetishizing' American Relationship

Spiegel Online | Gregor Peter Schmitz | Posted 11.03.2009 | World


The council released a study on Monday called "Toward a Post-American Europe," based on wide-ranging interviews and research conducted in the 27 EU me...

Timidity Vs. Audacity? The Tests Are Yet to Come

Amb. Marc Ginsberg | Posted 11.03.2009 | Politics


Amb. Marc Ginsberg

So far this year, there has been a tendency to vocalize intent and engage in convenient can-kicking, rather than actionable resolve. That's not timidity -- that's testing the state of the ship's rudder.

Karzai Effectively Handed 2nd Term After Abdullah Drops From Afghan Election

AP | HEIDI VOGT and ROBERT H. REID | Posted 11.02.2009 | World


KABUL — President Hamid Karzai effectively secured a second term Sunday when his only challenger dropped out of the race, and the Obama administ...

Abdullah Withdraws From Afghan Election

BBC NEWS | Posted 11.01.2009 | World


President Hamid Karzai's rival in the second round of the Afghan presidential election has announced that he is withdrawing from the poll....

Afghanistan, Again: The Thicket Obama's Not Getting Out Of

William Bradley | Posted 10.29.2009 | World


William Bradley

We can't afford to build a nation in Afghanistan. We have one reasonable goal there, and everything else, no matter how seemingly noble it may or may not be, is a luxury.

The CIA, The Brothers Karzai and Spinning our COIN Wheels

Richard Allen Smith | Posted 10.28.2009 | World


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.

Troops In Afghanistan Outnumber Taliban 12-1

AP | SLOBODAN LEKIC | Posted 10.28.2009 | World


BRUSSELS — There are already more than 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan working with 200,000 Afghan security forces and police. It ad...

Matthew Hoh Resigns: State Department Official Quits Over Afghan War

Posted 10.28.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — A former Marine who fought in Iraq, joined the State Department after leaving the military and was a diplomat in a Taliban strongho...

Obama's Decision On Afghanistan Troop Levels Likely Between November 7 And 11; More Troops Likely

ABC News | Posted 10.26.2009 | Politics


Sources tell ABC News that as of now President Obama will likely announce his decision about a new strategy in Afghanistan at some point between the A...

Joe Scarborough Needs to Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Robert Amsterdam | Posted 10.26.2009 | World


Robert Amsterdam

The ungrateful chauvinism of U.S. foreign policy reaches far beyond a rant provided by Joe Scarborough, who at least has the excuse of being in the business of manufacturing polemics.

US Held Secret War Game To Test Afghan Troop Levels

Washington Post | Greg Jaffe and Karen DeYoung | Posted 10.26.2009 | World


The Pentagon's top military officer oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by th...

Western Export of the Ballot Box Elixir is Pure Hubris

Simon Jenkins | Posted 10.23.2009 | World


Simon Jenkins

It is insufferable that Afghanistan, a miserable statelet, can reject liberal democracy despite the efforts of 70,000 NATO and NGO staff kicking their heels in Kabul's dust for eight years.

It's a Runoff, Now What? Parsing the Impacts of the Presidential Rematch in Afghanistan

Vikrum Aiyer | Posted 10.23.2009 | World


Vikrum Aiyer

A coalition government in Afghanstan, while supposedly offering the best of both worlds, tacitly condones an illegitimate election and would require America to broker power among competing personalities.

Afghanistan: Fraud, Opium, and Taliban

Jamal Dajani | Posted 10.23.2009 | World


Jamal Dajani

Why isn't Mr. Karzai being held responsible for this blatant act of election fraud? And who can guarantee that a repeat of the fraud won't happen? Or that all hell won't break loose during the run-off?

Obama Shouldn't Ignore Eastern Europe: Commentary

nytimes.com | MIRCEA GEOANA | Posted 10.23.2009 | World


The decision by the Obama administration to reshape its missile shield deployment in Central and Eastern Europe has been seen by some in the region as...

Gates: NATO Moving Toward Sending More Troops For Afghan War

AP | LARA JAKES and SLOBODAN LEKIC | Posted 10.24.2009 | World


BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Top NATO and United Nations officials signaled Friday they may request more international troops to join American forces ...

Getting the Vietnam Analogy Right in Afghanistan

Leon T. Hadar | Posted 10.21.2009 | World


Leon T. Hadar

The ghosts of the Vietnam War seem to be hanging around the White House Situation Room as President Obama and his national security aides debate a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan.

New York Times: Military Establishment Frustrated With Pace Of Obama's Deliberations On Afghan War

New York Times | ELISABETH BUMILLER | Posted 10.19.2009 | World


After nearly a month of deliberations by Mr. Obama over whether to send more American troops to Afghanistan, frustrations and anxiety are on the rise ...

John Kerry On Afghanistan: Sending More Troops Is "Irresponsible" Until Afghan Election Is Settled

Reuters | Posted 10.17.2009 | World


In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union," Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the United States should not proceed ...

Counter-Factual History: McCain Is President and Bono Wins the Nobel Prize

Leon T. Hadar | Posted 10.14.2009 | World


Leon T. Hadar

"I have to admit that I'm beginning to miss George W. Bush," is the way former Republican Senator "Chuck" Hagel responded when being asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer to assess the foreign policy record of the administration of Republican President John McCain.