Dr. Stephen Biddle discusses President Obama's second-term challenges in South Asia on Warren Olney's "To the Point" program.

Dr. Stephen Biddle discusses problems on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Stephen Biddle discusses how the killing of 16 Afghan civilians by a U.S. serviceman will affect the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

CFR's Stephen Biddle argues that Iraq will most likely continue to muddle along politically after the U.S. withdrawal. However, civil war, regional intervention, or a wider war remain possibilities.

CFR's Stephen Biddle discusses the increasing emphasis on non-military ties between the United States and Iraq.

Lawmakers are considering sharp cuts to defense spending as part of mandated deficit-reduction efforts. This Backgrounder discusses the effects of such major cuts and implications for U.S. military strategy.

Ten years after being toppled from power in Kabul, the Taliban remains resilient in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and complicates U.S. efforts to wind down the Afghan war.

Recent Taliban attacks in Kabul have undermined Afghan confidence in local security forces and cast new doubt on a sustainable transition from U.S.-led efforts, analysts say.

Which policies have worked and which ones need work ten years after the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history? CFR experts examine ten issues that have preoccupied U.S.

Heightened cross-border tensions and militant activity underscore the possible risks to the region as the United States prepares for its phased troop pullout from Afghanistan.

President Obama should have used his speech on the Afghanistan troop drawdown to confirm the long-term commitment of U.S. forces in the region, to signal an enduring, robust U.S. presence in troubled South Asia, says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

Listen to CFR president emeritus Leslie H. Gelb and senior fellow Stephen Biddle discuss the planned phased withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Stephen Biddle testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the long term vision needed to guide short term decisions in Afghanistan.

Tensions appear to be growing between the United States and Pakistan, even as leaders of both countries continue to stress the value of their partnership in the aftermath of the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

While U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan won't be directly affected, bin Laden's death could result in an expedited draw-down schedule, leaving the country open to a Taliban takeover and leading to upheaval in Pakistan, says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

CFR Senior Fellow For Defense Policy Stephen Biddle and CFR Senior Fellow For India, Pakistan, And South Asia, Daniel Markey, discuss the new methods the U.S. may have to employ in both Afghanistan and Pakistan after the recent killing of Osama bin Laden.

The Taliban needs to be convinced of a firm U.S. commitment in Afghanistan before it will negotiate a settlement, says CFR's Stephen Biddle, and any deal will have to also involve the Pakistani, U.S., and Afghan governments.

The war in Afghanistan hasn't been a major campaign issue even as public support for it has waned. This Backgrounder examines political backing for the war.

Increased military pressure and reassurances by the United States that it will not pull out of Afghanistan in July 2011 are keys to successful negotiations with the Taliban, says CFR's Max Boot.

Crucial to the success of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is dealing with the country's "predatory misgovernance," says CFR's Stephen Biddle. Targeting U.S. contracting practices is a good place to start, he says.

The growth and strengthening of Afghanistan's domestic security forces is seen as key to an eventual U.S. exit, but some analysts caution that progress will remain slow.

Listen to CFR Senior Fellow Stephen Biddle and Foreign Affairs Managing Editor Gideon Rose discuss the way forward in Afghanistan.

In replacing General Stanley McChrystal with General David Petraeus, a well-known counterinsurgency strategist, President Obama is betting that new leadership and old policy will equal victory in Afghanistan.

While senior military officials are urging support for Afghanistan operations, Afghans are fearful about the Kandahar offensive and uncertain about U.S. plans to start withdrawing troops in July 2011, says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

President Obama's first National Security Strategy departs from Bush administration doctrine by redefining the war against terror groups and embracing multilateralism, and may expect too much from global partners, say CFR experts in an analytical roundup.

After months of harsh words, the White House's conciliatory tone during the Afghan president's visit was calibrated to encourage Karzai to behave more like a "wartime leader and less like an innocent bystander," says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

Two key issues in Afghanistan are whether President Hamid Karzai will implement reforms and whether the American public is willing to invest the time it will take for a successful counterinsurgency, says CFR defense expert Stephen Biddle.

CFR's top defense policy expert Stephen Biddle says President Obama's announcement of a date for U.S. forces to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan could draw fire from wary Democrats, but also conveys that the U.S. "is uncomfortable with long stays."

Stephen Biddle testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on U.S. options for Afghanistan.

Stephen Biddle and Kim Barker discuss U.S. strategy in Afghanistan in light of the release of General McChrystal's Afghan strategy report.

Listen to Stephen Biddle, CFR's senior fellow for defense policy, discuss U.S. policy toward Afghanistan in light of his recent trip to Afghanistan as a member of General Stanley A. McChrystal's strategic assessment group, as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.Learn more about CFR's Academic Initiative.

Stephen Biddle testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the case for war in Afghanistan.

Regardless of the victor in this week's Afghan presidential elections, some analysts say Western forces must remain committed to the counterinsurgency effort to strengthen the state against a growing Taliban threat.

Listen to CFR Senior Fellow for Defense Policy Stephen Biddle, who just returned from a month-long trip to Afghanistan, discuss U.S. strategy there.

As military planners review strategy in the U.S.-led war effort in Afghanistan, CFR Senior Fellow Stephen Biddle says victory will be dependent on improving the capacity of the beleaguered Afghan government.

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraqi cities was a relatively easy benchmark to meet, analysts say. Many are unsure whether the country can withstand a complete U.S. pullout in less than two years.

The replacement of the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan with a counterinsurgency expert could shift momentum, but CFR's Stephen Biddle says it might also anger Afghans who oppose U.S. special operations tactics.

President Obama has made "strategic communications" an essential part of his move to boost the military and nation-building effort in Afghanistan. But experts say countering Taliban messaging will take technology, speed, and demonstrated success in providing security.

CFR's Stephen Biddle says President Obama's decision to add four thousand troops to train Afghan troops is "a reasonable first step" but that Obama faces huge challenges in standing up a viable Afghan army.

The evolving strategy in Afghanistan includes seventeen thousand more U.S. troops and plans to outbid the Taliban for the loyalty of their tribal allies on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border. But Gen. David McKiernan, commander of the effort, says no plan defined in purely military terms can succeed.

President Obama says ending the war in Iraq will require a new definition of victory, and experts add that the United States should expect no peace dividend in its budget anytime soon.

Stephen Biddle, a senior defense and counterterrorism analyst, says that President Obama's schedule for reducing and then ending the U.S. deployment in Iraq "is a reasonable compromise between several conflicting demands."

Stephen Biddle testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A panel of CFR Senior Fellows discusses the wide range of Middle East challenges that face the new administration and its special envoys.

The Sunni awakening movement and the Sons of Iraq security forces it inspired helped restore peace. Iraq's long-term stability could hinge on keeping the movement satiated, experts say.

A Council on Foreign Relations conference call with CFR Senior Fellows Stephen Biddle and Daniel Markey after their recent return from a trip to Afghanistan.

Perspectives on the Presidential Foreign Policy Debate.

With violence down and U.S. troop deaths at their lowest point since the Iraq war began, military analysts are in near-agreement that Iraq is more secure today. But CFR's Stephen Biddle and Steven Simon disagree on how to ensure stability continues. They discuss their views during this inaugural Foreign Affairs Live debate.

Vali Nasr and Stephen Biddle, Senior Fellows at the Council on Foreign Relations, discuss the political climate and the status of security forces in Iraq following their recent visits to the region.

CFR military expert Stephen Biddle sees improvements in Iraqi security forces but worries about an erosion in stability if the U.S. military presence is sharply reduced.

As military and political leaders debate future U.S. troop commitments to Iraq, the next U.S. president is put on notice.

Military and political leaders debate the United States' future troop commitments to Iraq and the extent to which 'victory' can ever be defined there.

The top U.S. military and diplomatic officials in Iraq will tell Congress of security improvements and scattered political progress, but many lawmakers want to hear an exit strategy.

Stephen Biddle testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on U.S. options for Iraq after the Surge.

The Iraq war has confounded and surprised U.S. policymakers over five years, and is expected to remain a challenge for a new administration.

Listen to Stephen Biddle, CFR senior fellow for defense policy, provide an update on the current situation in Iraq and examine the political and military implications of U.S. policy options going forward as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call Series. This call was made possible in part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.

CFR experts offer their analysis of President George W. Bush's final State of the Union address.

Stephen Biddle testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on the reduction in violence in Iraq and the continued U.S. troop presence.

On the anniversary of President Bush's surge plan for Iraq, some analysts question how lasting its progress will prove.

U.S. military progress in Iraq is affecting U.S. public opinion, but progress reconciling Iraq's feuding ethnic factions has proven elusive

Iraqi refugees are returning home after years of war, leading Iraqi and U.S. officials to talk of a corner turned. But millions more remain abroad and unconvinced.

A CFR teleconference with Stephen Biddle about the situation in Iraq.

Stephen Biddle, CFR's top defense analyst, cites positive developments in Iraq on Sunni security cooperation and reconciliation efforts from the Shiite-led government.

The U.S. Army is reorganizing to create smaller, more mobile units without sacrificing firepower. Some experts, however, wonder whether that aim addresses the lessons of Iraq.

Lawrence J. Korb of the Center for American Progress and CFR's Stephen Biddle debate the accuracy of American military statistics on violence in Iraq.

Six CFR experts provide their own analysis of the Petraeus and Crocker testimony.

Stephen Biddle testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on the U.S. troop presence in Iraq given low popular support for the troop surge.

A new assessment on the war presents a "mixed bag," as Iraqis fail to meet many benchmarks but security in Baghdad appears to be improving. The debate in Washington, meanwhile, remains polarized.

Stephen Biddle, CFR's top military analyst on Iraq, says the only analytically sound alternatives in Iraq are to either pull out now, or to stick with a revamped "surge."

Experts point to a number of postwar models, from Bosnia to Vietnam to South Korea, for Iraq to follow once U.S. forces leave.

Amid reports the U.S military is arming Sunni factions, some experts say the "surge" has proven ineffective as sectarian violence returns to previous levels.

Stephen Biddle and Max Boot, who have both recently been in Iraq, discuss the troop surge.

This Council Special Report concludes that only if the United States disengages militarily will it minimize the strategic costs of its failure in Iraq.

President Bush's plan to secure Baghdad faces a number of obstacles: a war-weary American public, a resistant Iraqi government, and an entrenched sectarian dispute.

President Bush's new "surge" plan to clear and hold Baghdad's neighborhoods faces a tough challenge from high levels of sectarian violence.

Whatever emerges from the current review of U.S. Iraq policy, embedding more U.S. military advisers with Iraqi forces will be a vital component. But can this training effort help secure Iraq?

President Bush says he will weigh the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group with in-house reports from the National Security Council, State Department, and Pentagon before moving forward on Iraq.

Foreign Affairs, published by the Council on Foreign Relations since 1922, has again been ranked #1 in influence by U.S. opinion leaders in a recent national study conducted by Erdos & Morgan, the premier business-to-business research firm. The findings place Foreign Affairs ahead of all media, both print and broadcast, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Economist, and the Washington Post.

CFR Fellows Stephen Biddle and Steven Cook join George Mason University professors Eric McGlinchey and Peter Mandaville at a town hall meeting to discuss the Middle East and Iraq.

A collection of CFR.org's resources on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

With congressional elections looming, U.S. voters on both sides of the aisle are calling for alternate solutions to resolve the Iraqi crisis, restore peace and stability, and return U.S. soldiers home.

The sectarian fighting in Iraq can now be characterized as a civil war, experts say. But what does that mean for U.S. policy?

Prime Minister Maliki tells the U.S. Congress that Iraq is a "front line" in the global struggle against terrorism. Maliki and Bush agree more troops will be sent to Baghdad as part of a fresh strategy to put down rising sectarian violence.

Talks of reconciliation with insurgents and a planned pullout of U.S. forces have experts and officials abuzz with end-game solutions to the war in Iraq.

Iraq's government has made some headway in its first few weeks, though talk of a turning point may be premature. With America's casualty rate climbing and Iraqi infrastructure still subpar, many are asking: How does the U.S. define success?

Partisan maneuvering in both houses of the U.S. Congress dominated debates over Iraq, with Senate Democrats this week poised to propose a measure on "phased redeployment" of U.S. troops.

The annual Pentagon report on China's military power cites increased defense spending as a threat to the stability of Asia, and contends Beijing could potentially threaten the United States. But some critics say the Defense Department is hyping the China threat to justify its own massive spending.

President Bush and British leader Tony Blair met Thursday to discuss a full agenda, from Iran to Afghanistan to trade and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But all of it is overshadowed by their leading role in the Iraq war.

In the face of mounting calls for his resignation, the secretary of defense is hanging tough. President Bush reiterates his support for Rumsfeld as the secretary defends his leadership of the Iraq war against attacks from retired senior military commanders.

The U.S. postwar military strategy in Iraq has been a lightning rod for criticism, but there are fresh signs military officials may be getting the message.

With all the talk of drawing down U.S. forces in Iraq, the U.S. military is quietly adopting a strategy that gets more U.S. soldiers onto the streets to interact with Iraqi locals and forces. Experts say this strategy will be successful at securing Iraq in the long run, even though it puts troops at greater risk in the short run.

U.S. casualties in Iraq have been declining in recent months. Yet this is more a product of changing strategies among U.S. and insurgent forces than a sign of calm setting in.

Washington's opposition to the Shiites' nomination for premier highlights the growing strain in U.S.-Shiite relations. The reaction from Baghdad suggests U.S. influence in Iraq may be on the wane.

Stephen Biddle assesses the deteriorating security situation in Iraq and the prospect of civil war.

Military Power: Explaining Victory and Defeat in Modern Battle, by CFR Senior Fellow Stephen Biddle, was awarded the Huntington Prize on March 9, 2006 at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC.

In preparation for the three year anniversary of the armed intervention in Iraq, four CFR experts discuss the challenges and prospects for a new Iraq.

Stephen Biddle discusses the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review. He argues that it avoids making difficult trade-offs between a high-tech, capital-intensive, speed-oriented military intended primarily for waging major combat operations and a lower-tech, labor-intensive, lower-capital military intended for low intensity conflict and counterinsurgencies.