Max Boot says it's best for the United States to ignore outbursts by Afghan president Karzai and to concentrate instead on cultivating a successor.

Leslie H. Gelb discusses why Ambassador Eikenberry was right to tell President Karzai to watch his words.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon discusses Afghan women who express concern at the lack of a peace process in Afghanistan, even as troop withdrawals approach.

Leslie H. Gelb says President Obama's yet unrevealed plan for withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan should satisfy those pushing for a quick exit and the diehards determined to stay the course.

Is U.S. involvement in Afghanistan a mission to build a stable Afghan state or eliminate the al-Qaeda threat? As a decision nears on U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, lawmakers are making new calls for clarity, adding to the debate over the war's endgame.

Linda Bartlett, an esteemed scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discusses maternal health in Afghanistan, highlighting her experiences during the Reproductive Age Mortality Survey (RAMOS), which she had conducted on horseback only months after the fall of the Taliban in 2002.

U.S. drone strikes and "kill/capture" missions against al-Qaeda operatives, particularly in Pakistan and Yemen, have gained new attention and notoriety this spring. Four experts debate the legality and efficacy of the controversial counterterrorism strategy.

Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, head of NATO training efforts in Afghanistan, says 9 out of 10 Afghan security recruits are illiterate, and emphasizes the education role that has become a major component of NATO training. Caldwell expects NATO and U.S. forces to remain in Afghanistan well after 2014, when Afghan forces are planned to take on security leadership in the country.

CFR's Gayle Tzemach Lemmon leads a conversation on the role of women in Afghanistan's civil society.

As the United States prepares to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, General Caldwell discusses the U.S. and NATO investment in the Afghan National Security Forces, as well as the importance and challenges of the upcoming transition.

As the United States prepares to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, General Caldwell discusses the U.S. and NATO investment in the Afghan National Security Forces, as well as the importance and challenges of the upcoming transition.

This session was part of the Maternal Health in Afghanistan and Pakistan roundtable series.

Experience has shown that community-based interventions not only reduce maternal mortality in Afghanistan, but also complement broader efforts to achieve stability and development in this war-torn country. Denise Byrd, an expert in maternal and child health, reproductive health, and family planning, described the challenges faced by maternal health providers in Afghanistan and discussed several successful intervention programs.

This session was part of the Maternal Health in Afghanistan and Pakistan roundtable series.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says all eyes are on General Petraeus when it comes to translating what the news of Osama bin Laden's death means for Afghanistan.

The Economist's Kabul and Khost desks find the U.S. Military "cautiously optimistic", attributing recent successes in the war against Afghan insurgents to the 2009 troop surge.

Osama bin Laden's death has fueled renewed debate about U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, with some experts and lawmakers in Congress calling for a speedier pullout schedule and less funding.

James M. Lindsay says that the role of the troops that remain in Afghanistan after a withdrawal will reveal the nature of America's continued commitment there.

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