Afghanistan Archives - Page 29 of 74 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Interview with Malalai Joya

by John Feffer, Julien Mercille | Oct 16, 2009

There are currently more than 100,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, about 65,000 of which are American. U.S. General Stanley McChrystal is asking for more, perhaps as many as 45,000 soldiers. However, there is rising opposition to the war in the United States and several NATO countries. The Taliban now have a permanent presence in 80% of Afghanistan, up from 72% in November 2008, and are spreading their influence to the north. The recent elections have been marred by fraud, and it is still unclear how and when the problems will be resolved. Obama has a lot on his plate and hears many conflicting voices on what should be done. But what do Afghans actually think?

Strategic Dialogue: Afghanistan

by Ed Corcoran, John Feffer, Erik Leaver | Oct 15, 2009

These pieces are part of a strategic dialogue on Afghanistan, as part of our new South Asia focus. You can read Ed Corcoran’s piece here and Erik Leaver’s piece here.

Losing the Moral High Ground

by Frida Berrigan, John Feffer | Oct 7, 2009

On the eighth anniversary of the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the spotlight is on the Obama administration’s evolving war strategy in a nation long known as the "graveyard of empires."

Poem, ‘Dear Legislators’

by Frances Payne Adler, Melissa Tuckey | Oct 5, 2009

Dear legislators in Capitol City, sweating in stone buildings this Session, searching for cash and coins for clinics and coronary bypass machines, for bandages and bedpans, searching inside books and briefs and file cabinets. Surely you've looked everywhere, but what...

Decision Point: Afghanistan

by John Feffer, Erik Leaver | Oct 1, 2009

Note: This is part of a strategic dialogue on Afghanistan. You can see Ed Corcoran’s piece here.

For years, the war in Afghanistan has been in crisis. But now with a failed Afghan election, the resurgence of the Taliban as a political power, NATO allies withdrawing from the battlefield, and Pakistan’s tribal areas under increasing influence from the Taliban and al-Qaeda, the situation looks worse than ever. Obama and his team are spinning their wheels trying to devise a policy to right the sinking ship, but the most sensible solution, for Afghans and U.S. citizens, is to start planning a way out.

Why Afghanistan

by Ed Corcoran, John Feffer | Oct 1, 2009

Note: This is part of a strategic dialogue on Afghanistan. You can read Erik Leaver’s piece here.

A major U.S. effort in Afghanistan makes no sense in its own right: a faraway country with very limited resources and a history of hostility to invaders. But Afghanistan was intimately involved with the World Trade Center attack — a major psychological blow to the American people, and that has given Afghanistan a major psychological tie in U.S. minds. The present focus on Afghanistan, as articulated by President Barack Obama, "has a clear mission and defined goals — to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda and its extremist allies."

"We Deeply Regret"

by John Feffer, Conn Hallinan | Sep 30, 2009

“We deeply regret” are words that almost always end with something terrible.

60-Second Expert: Afghanistan: What Are These People Thinking?

by Sean Chen, Conn Hallinan | Sep 22, 2009

The Obama administration consistently fails to learn the lessons of Vietnam in Afghanistan. It mischaracterizes the Taliban threat, has not deployed an adequate number of troops, and faces waning support from the public. Despite the hopelessness of the task, the administration continues its delusional policies.

Afghanistan and the German Peace Movement

by Reiner Braun, John Feffer | Sep 18, 2009

On September 4, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force conducted an airstrike on a fuel tank hijacked by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan. The attack killed dozens of people including civilians, according to NATO sources. However the German Minister of Defense, Franz Josef Jung, has stubbornly denied that the attack harmed civilians, insisting instead that “only Taliban were killed.” Jung even verbally attacked NATO and EU statements on the topic, saying that “other countries should not interfere.”

Afghanistan and the Greens

by John Feffer, Paul Hockenos | Sep 15, 2009

On September 3, the German command in northern Afghanistan in the Kundus region ordered an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) air raid on two oil tankers that had, according to intelligence reports, been hijacked by Taliban forces. U.S. bombers carried out the raid destroying the two targets. In the days that followed different numbers of casualties, including civilian victims, were reported. An ISAF fact-finding mission reported 125 dead, among them at least two dozen civilians. The German defense minister initially asserted there were no civilian casualties at all — and then later backtracked. The events of early September in northern Afghanistan have initiated a fierce debate in Germany about the role of German forces in the country — and provoked stiff criticism from Germany’s allies.