Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Cutting Our Losses

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Not one of the 42 nations involved on the ground in Afghanistan wants to stay the course until the birth of a new nation, cleansed of Taliban insurgents, and a reasonable facsimile of democratic rule. To begin with, no one believes this would be possible short of another 10-year commitment. And untold billions more in […]

Where is Richard Holbrooke on Afghanistan?

By Harlan Ullman

As the Obama administration agonizes over Afghanistan and a flurry of insurgent attacks in neighboring Pakistan rocks that country, Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke has become, surprisingly, nearly invisible. When it came to convincing, cajoling or coercing Afghan President Hamid Karzai to accept the inevitability of a runoff election, who did the heavy lifting?

Afghanistan: A Modest Case for Dithering

By Alex Massie

My old chum, and former boss, Iain Martin writes that time is, in fact, of the essence in Afghanistan and that Barack Obama needs to make a decision:

While Obama Dithers

By James Joyner

An incredibly junior contractor-for-hire has resigned over disagreement with our AfPak policy, prompting a high level scramble within the administration and a long feature in the Washington Post.

Common Sense and COIN in Afghanistan

By Don Snow

As the Obama administration’s internal debate over what to do in Afghanistan has publicly clarified, two prerequisites for the success of the American effort have risen to the top: good governance and the emegence of effective Afghan security forces. Both represent the triumph of simple common sense over the supposed arcane details of COIN  strategy, […]

Afghanistan Election: Now What?

By James Joyner

A United Nations panel has ordered a run-off in Afghanistan’s presidential election, ruling that Hamid Karzai got less than fifty percent of the legitimate ballots cast and that nearly a third of the votes previously counted were fraudulent.  It remains to be seen how Karzai and the West will respond.\

Strategic Balance in AfPak

By James Joyner

Joe Biden is reportedly the Obama administration’s biggest opponent to escalation in Afghanistan, arguing internally that our current strategic priorities are seriously out of kilter.

Ashraf Ghani Event Transcript

Back to Rescuing Legitimacy in Afghanistan Speakers: Frederick Kempe, President and CEO, Atlantic Council Dr. Ashraf Ghani, Chairman, Institute for State Effectiveness; Former Presidential Candidate of Afghanistan; Former Minister of Finance of Afghanistan

10 Questions on Afghanistan

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

As President Obama and his national security team debate the way forward in Afghanistan, they must answer a series of difficult and complex questions. The administration must consider not only how the new U.S. policy will affect Afghanistan but also reflect upon the second and third order strategic consequences of the decision.

In Search of Strategy

By Derek Reveron

The Obama administration is rethinking its strategy in Afghanistan. NATO is developing its new strategic concept. And the United States military is conducting its strategic defense review. It seems that one cannot talk about international affairs today without first thinking about strategy.