The new U.S.-Afghan strategic partnership agreement is a step forward as the Western troop drawdown clock ticks down, but Washington must provide more specific pledges for Afghanistan's security, says CFR's Max Boot.

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton and Defense Secretary Panetta gave these remarks on Afghanistan at a meeting at NATO headquarters on April 18, 2012.

The latest spate of violence in Afghanistan is unlikely to change the course of planned troop withdrawals, but should refocus efforts on bringing under control Pakistan-based militants, says CFR's Daniel Markey.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says a battle is on to keep Afghan women from falling off the political agenda while Washington and its NATO allies seek a diplomatic solution to America's longest-ever war, and the fight becomes more urgent as the NATO summit in Chicago approaches.

Max Boot argues that the only way the Taliban can shoot their way back into power is if the United States abandons Afghanistan.

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

Micah Zenko says it's time for the United States to think of new ways to combat terrorism in Southwest Asia.

Despite the last week's setbacks, Max Boot argues for a firm commitment to a future U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

UN Security Council Resolution 2041 regarding extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) until March 23, 2013 was adopted by the UN Security Council on March 22, 2012.

John McCain, Joseph I. Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, believe President Obama should "resist the short-sighted calls for additional troop reductions" in Afghanistan.

Leslie H. Gelb says President Obama will wait until after the election to speed up U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.

The killing of Afghan civilians and the Taliban's suspension of peace talks have complicated the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. CFR's Stephen Biddle discusses U.S. choices.

Following the attack on Afghan civilians by a U.S. Army sergeant and the recent burning of Qurans by NATO soldiers, the United States' relationship with Afghanistan has come under sharp focus. Listen to CFR senior fellows Stephen Biddle and Max Boot discuss these events, the planned drawdown of U.S. troops by 2014, and the future of U.S. policy toward Afghanistan.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon argues that any peace agreement in Afghanistan that leaves out Afghan women will simply be a short-term deal, not a durable peace.

Following the attack on Afghan civilians by a U.S. Army sergeant, and the recent burning of Qurans by NATO soldiers, the United States' relationship with Afghanistan has come under sharp focus. Listen to CFR senior fellows Stephen Biddle and Max Boot discuss these events, the planned drawdown of U.S. troops by 2014, and the future of U.S. policy toward Afghanistan.

The debate following the Kandahar massacre shows that Americans at home and in Afghanistan still don't quite understand the meaning of events in that country, writes Ahmad Shuja.

The latest events in Afghanistan cement the war as deeply flawed: Panjwai may just do what Abu Ghraib or My Lai did for previous wars, write George Packer at the New Yorker.

The killing of Afghan civilians allegedly by a U.S. soldier aggravates U.S.-Afghan ties, raises fresh doubts about talks with the Taliban, and feeds debate about strategy to end the war.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta released this statement on March 11, 2012 following the shooting of Afghan civilians in Kandahar by a U.S. service member.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says that while Afghan women deplore the burning of the Quran by U.S. troops, they are even angrier at the bloody protests that followed.