The deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan comes to an end amid renewed debate about the U.S. endgame there and whether the nearly decade-long conflict has achieved its goals.
Two documentaries on the Afghan war, Restrepo and Armadillo, show how a combination of overwhelming military resources and aggressive counterinsurgency ultimately leads to frustration on the battlefield.
Max Boot says the fall of Muammar al-Qaddafi will create a dangerous situation in Libya, and NATO and the UN will likely have to send economic aid and peacekeeping troops.
Elliott Abrams argues that while the fall of Muammar al-Qaddafi is a victory, President Obama's failure to act sooner and more resolutely in the Libyan conflict has caused NATO to suffer greater damage than necessary.
Richard N. Haass says international assistance, and most likely an international force, is likely to be needed for some time to restore and maintain order in Libya.
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says that while Secretary Clinton's commitment to keeping women front and center in Afghanistan is clear, the White House's interest in deploying political capital on Afghan women's behalf is far less certain.
William Wan and Peter Finn write in the WashingtonPost that the emergence of multipolarity and China's new military ascendancy pose challenges for the U.S. monopoly over drone technology.
A rise in Iraq's violence and sectarian tensions--and the highest U.S. monthly combat deaths since 2008--come amid mounting concerns over the government's role and questions about the U.S. troop presence, says expert Sean Kane.
Mohamad Bazzi says Iraq faces a decision on the U.S. troop presence, but the unwieldly government coalition means that domestic rivalries could force the issue.
Gideon Rose discusses President Nixon and Henry Kissinger's attempt to extricate the United States from the Vietnam War even as the local combatants continued to struggle -- and says President Obama should try to do the same in Afghanistan.
CFR president emeritus Leslie H. Gelb and senior fellow Stephen Biddle discuss the planned phased withdrawal from Afghanistan and what it means for President Obama's strategy in the region.
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.
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The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.