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Taliban

West's Afghan Hopes Collide with Reality

The outcome in Afghanistan won't resemble the vision of America and its allies, who wanted a strong, Western-aligned central government keeping the Taliban at bay. The goals should now be less ambitious.

The Anarchic Republic of Pakistan

Pakistan's military-intelligence complex is too preoccupied with countering India to mount a serious campaign against radicals who threaten the nation's survival. The country is being destroyed from within.

American Jihad

Al-Qaeda has accomplished the unthinkable: establishing an embryonic recruitment, radicalization and operational capacity on our shores. Our current strategy risks another 9/11.

Karzai and 22,000 Villages

A military surge will not win Afghanistan. Karzai and his corrupt clan have failed the Afghan people. Former presidential candidate Ghani shows us a way out: counterinsurgency economics.

Sanctum FATA

The United States has allowed the Afghan War to slip from apparent victory to possible defeat. Kabul is no longer the center of battle. The fulcrum has shifted to Pakistan.

Afghan Awakening

Can Kabul be saved? More troops are on the way, but a one-size-fits-all surge is not enough. We also need to change our tactics.

Commentary

Specters at the NATO Summit

Obama and NATO promised Afghanistan a "stable future." But can they deliver? 

U.S.-Afghan Codependence

Calls to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan are irresponsible and misleading. The two countries have much to gain from a lasting partnership.

Failure in AfPak: How the U.S. Got It Wrong

A frenemy in Pakistan. No strategy in Afghanistan. Cold War politics in India. Where U.S. policy took a wrong turn.

Blogs

Sergeant Bergdahl, War and Terrorism

The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists. But the Taliban is not a terrorist organization. 

The Massacre in Panjwai

Even after Sunday's tragic shooting, Washington seems committed to staying in Afghanistan unitl 2014. It's going to be a long two years.

It’s Time to Cut Our Losses in Afghanistan

No more American or Afghan lives should be lost in pursuit of a strategy that is not in America’s national interest.

Books & Reviews

A Ticking Bomber

There is no simple answer to the causes of terrorism. But three books offer insight into the complexities of man and his motivation to kill. These explanations come not from academic tomes, nor expositions by the burgeoning cottage industry of ter

Losing Mythic Authority

As a result of America’s misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have lost the global clout we derived from our role in World War II—for good.

Killing to Make a Killing

Suicide terrorism may be more rational than meets the eye.

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May 26, 2012