Afghanistan Archives - Page 19 of 76 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Dealing with the Haqqanis

by Adam Cohen | Oct 19, 2011

In a year of promises, unmatched violence, and pointed fingers, public attention has been diverted away from the Taliban and onto a new source of violent opposition. The Haqqani network is now the target of American ire in Afghanistan. Recent Haqqani attacks like the daring assault on the U.S. embassy in Kabul have infuriated the American military and political brass. As the United States confronts this persistent and lethal force, the flaws in the U.S. effort to root out terrorism and establish stable governance in Afghanistan turn out to have been inherent in the U.S. strategy since the very beginning.

Afghanistan’s Energy War

by Shukria Dellawar, Antonia Juhasz | Oct 5, 2011

Violence escalated daily in Afghanistan with the approach of the 10-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion on October 7. At the same time, a little-noted energy agenda is moving rapidly forward that may not only deny Afghans the much needed economic benefits their energy resources could provide, but may also exacerbate insecurity and instability, ensuring a prolonged U.S. and foreign military presence. It is an agenda remarkably similar to one well underway in Iraq.

Escaping Haqqanistan

by Russ Wellen | Sep 27, 2011

Despite its brutality, corruption, and affiliation with al Qaeda, the Haqqani network is likely to inherit much of Afghanistan should the United States leave.

Why Al-Qaeda Won

by Walden Bello | Sep 21, 2011

With the tenth anniversary of the crime that was 9/11, the question inevitably crops up: who won, the United States or al-Qaeda? According to the politically correct answer, although al-Qaeda has been decimated, it has been a Pyrrhic victory for Washington. In defeating al-Qaeda, the U.S. government engaged in many unnecessary violations of human rights and due process that diminished America in the eyes of both its citizens and the world.

Light at End of Afghan Tunnel Recedes With Brazen Taliban Attacks, Army Desertion, and Flourishing Opium Trade

by Conn Hallinan | Sep 16, 2011

What generals don’t get is that wars like Vietnam and Afghanistan — occupations in effect — are political, not military affairs.

Impressive Taliban Attack on Embassy Eclipses Success for Afghan Security Forces

by Russ Wellen | Sep 14, 2011

Its attack on the U.S. embassy reveals a Taliban either conflicted or divided within itself about talking with the United States.

The Dual Failure of Night Raids and Drones

by Adam Cohen | Jul 27, 2011

Adapting to an unconventional war, the United States and its allies picked up some new tactics in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the past few years, drone attacks and night raids have become staples of the effort to combat al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The announcement of a new counterterrorism strategy and the beginning of troop withdrawals from the conflict suggest that these methods are poised to become fixtures of how the U.S. combats global terrorist threats.

Afghanistan: Anatomy of a Hit

by Conn Hallinan | Jul 27, 2011

The July 12 assassination of Ahmed Wali Karzai in Kandahar is one of those moments when the long and bloody Afghanistan war suddenly comes into focus. It is not a picture one is eager to put up on the wall.

Review: The Wars of Afghanistan

by Adam Cohen | Jul 21, 2011

Drawing on newly released documents, personal anecdote, and keen analysis, former U.S. Ambassador Peter Tomsen relates a brutal portrait of Afghanistan from its origins to the present day. That present is as dark as the recent past. Despite the glum historical perspective, Tomsen’s final analysis in The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and The Failures of Great Powers leaves a ray of hope.

War Fatigue and the Un-Critical Critics of War

by Hannah Gurman | Jul 20, 2011

From Iraq to Afghanistan to Libya, the first decade of the 21st century has solidified the U.S. reputation as the energizer bunny of war. While these conflicts continue to rage on, there are a growing number of signs that even the United States has a limit to how much war it is willing to wage.