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.

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.

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.

Revelations about Osama bin Laden's plans to attack targets in the United States raises questions about his role in al-Qaeda and the impact his death will have on the idea of global jihad.

This issue guide provides background and analysis on the foreign policy implications of the death of Osama bin Laden.

The death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a U.S. operation in Pakistan marks a triumph for the United States, although the lasting impact on the U.S.-led "war on terror" is uncertain.

Violent protests in Afghanistan against a Florida pastor's Quran burning add another challenge to international security efforts and expose the difficulties in ending this ten-year war.

Afghan security forces will start taking over some areas from NATO in July, but questions persist about the competence of those forces. Analysts say an effective transition requires emphasis on political reforms and anti-corruption measures.

The latest review of the Afghan strategy puts U.S. troop drawdown on track for July, but experts say President Obama has to balance assuring partners in the region of U.S. commitment to the war with increasing calls for withdrawal from some Democrats.

Richard Holbrooke was an important figure in civilian efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and Pakistan. His death could leave a diplomatic void as the Obama administration seeks to reassert its counterinsurgency strategy, reports say.

Although violence in Afghanistan's parliamentary elections this weekend could be a setback for U.S. efforts, some experts see an opportunity for change if the elections lead to serious conversations about corruption and accountability.

International endorsement of a plan to hand security responsibilities to Afghan forces in 2014 indicates NATO's military commitment is not open-ended. But meeting the deadline amid ongoing Afghan governance issues could prove challenging.

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.

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.

The decision by the main Afghan presidential challenger to drop out of the runoff contest raises new doubts about incumbent Hamid Karzai's viability as partner in the U.S. effort to counter Taliban forces in increasingly shaky Afghanistan.

As President Barack Obama ponders his next move in Afghanistan, civilian and military strategists are pushing different approaches on the way forward in a war soon to become America's longest.

Amid fresh signs U.S. military leaders are expected to request more troops for the Afghan war, debate continues to mount over Afghanistan's importance to U.S. security.

The top commander in Afghanistan has called for a new strategy, and possibly more troops. But some analysts wonder whether the nearly eight-year-old war is still worth fighting.

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.

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.