Both Afghan elites and the Taliban have be drooling over the $1 trillion in mineral deposits in Afghanistan.
Reader Challenge: Is Afghan Mineral Find a Game-Changer?
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Afghanistan
A Bad Week for the Monroe Doctrine
In her address to the delegates, Clinton complained that the OAS “has not always lived up to its founding ideals.” Now it is, and Washington is less than happy.
Outraged by Drone Strikes? Some Drone Operators Are Too
Some CIA officers involved in the agency’s drone strikes program in Pakistan and elsewhere are privately expressing their opposition to the program within the agency, because it is helping al Qaeda and its allies recruit.
The Trillion-Dollar Question
The full-page ads in The Washington Post seem so reasonable. The military contractor Pratt & Whitney has been arguing that America doesn’t need to spend $485 million to develop a second engine for the F-35 jet fighter. It’s a compelling argument. We’re in a serious economic crisis, so why on earth would we build another jet engine when the first one is sufficient?
Readers’ Challenge: Have IR Deadlines Outlived Their Usefulness?
People tend to balk at pressure. Isn’t it time to find an alternative to deadlines and timelines?
Kyrgyzstan: Tinderboxes and Tangled Webs
If Kyrgyzstan becomes a pawn on a larger board, then the “Great Game” will shift from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the rest of Central Asia.
Reader Challenge: Does Afghanistan Spell the End of NATO as We Know It?
Will confining NATO to its own backyard and scaling back its mission could spell the beginning of its end?
Hello, Has Anybody Seen Our Idea of Governance in Afghanistan?
Turning Afghanistan over to the Taliban may actually be a win-win situation for the United States.
The Breakup
“I need a little space.”
When lovers utter these words, it’s usually a bad sign for the relationship. They feel suffocated. They’re reexamining their commitment. They’re checking out other options. But they don’t have the courage to make a clean break.
Afghanistan: Should We Stay or Should We Go?
Almost nine years after the United States invaded Afghanistan, public support for a continued military presence has wavered and many politicians have called for an exit strategy. However, some observers believe a withdrawal of U.S./NATO troops would create a dangerous vacuum in the region. For those who opposed the invasion from the start, there is further debate: Can the “Out Now” position the antiwar movement has advocated for Iraq also be valid for Afghanistan? Or should activists voice a more nuanced stance that addresses, in particular, the prospective plight of Afghan women under Taliban rule?