Stephen Biddle discusses how domestic politics still clashes with strategic imperatives in U.S. Afghan policy.

The most realistic and acceptable alternative models of governance in Afghanistan are decentralized democracy and a system of internal mixed sovereignty.

Stephen Biddle examines recent combat experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq and argues that the efficacy of U.S. air power is constrained by the proficiency of indigenous allies on the ground.

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

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.

From the September/October 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs: The next U.S. president will face problems that will require strength and a renewed sense of national purpose to solve.

This audio includes readings of selected articles from the September/October 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs.

CFR Senior Fellow Stephen Biddle considers ways to adapt governance ambitions in Afghanistan to the constraints of diminishing time and resources.

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

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

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

The newly announced U.S. plan to end its combat mission in Afghanistan by mid-2013 could make it more difficult to realize the chief goal of helping Afghan national forces become self-sufficient, says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

The winner of the 2012 U.S. presidential race will have to make critical decisions on Afghanistan, including how to support and fund Afghan forces as well as possible concessions to the Taliban, says CFR's Stephen Biddle.

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

Stephen Biddle, Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the implications of Osama bin Laden's death for the United States' role in Afghanistan.