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December 1, 2009
Daily Analysis
U.S. President Barack Obama's new Afghan strategy is expected to include an influx of more than thirty thousand troops and an exit plan. He faces the challenge of selling this approach to war-weary publics.
See more in Defense Strategy
November 30, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie Gelb looks into the details of President Obama's Afghanistan troop strategy, declaring that the President's expected plan to commit approximately 30,000 troops is "reasonable" and "deserves the support of the American people."
See more in Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 25, 2009
Interview
The threat posed by the al-Qaeda-Taliban relationship is a crucial element in U.S. strategic planning in Afghanistan. Four experts explore the changing nature of these sometimes murky ties.
See more in Pakistan, Havens for Terrorism, Terrorist Organizations, Terrorist Leaders
November 23, 2009
Must Read
An investigation by The Nation has found that members of an elite division of Blackwater are running a clandestine program to carry out assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives both inside and outside Pakistan, help run secret US military drone bombing campaigns and gather intelligence.
See more in Pakistan, Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Strategy, Counterterrorism, Targets for Terrorists
November 17, 2009
Interview
CFR's Kim Barker, on return from a recent trip to Kabul, says Afghans are disillusioned with both the reelection of President Hamid Karzai and what they perceive as the U.S desire for an exit strategy.
See more in Democracy and Human Rights, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 12, 2009
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
Ray Takeyh argues that many critics of the Afghanistan war are wrong to compare it to Vietnam and that such comparisons are "absolutely toxic," in the way that they are limiting progress in Afghanistan.
See more in Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment, Foreign Policy History
November 10, 2009
Op-Ed
Los Angeles Times
Although corruption, drug-trafficking and other civil issues are important priorities, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan needs to become more engaged with the war raging around him, writes Max Boot.
See more in Wars and Warfare, International Peace and Security
September 10, 2009
Essential Documents
Letter
See more in United States, Wars and Warfare
November 9, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie Gelb writes that the U.S. military's request to increase troops in Afghanistan by 44,000 ought to be closely scrutinized. He adds that, on this issue, "the military got a free ride from America’s pretend leaders and fake journalists."
See more in Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment
November 3, 2009
Op-Ed
Financial Times
"General Stanley McChrystal's plan to pursue counterinsurgency in the countryside is a bridge too far," write Steve Simon and Charles Kupchan, arguing, instead, that Afghanistan policy should be focused on establishing control in strategic locations.
See more in Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment, U.S. Strategy and Politics
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