Foreign Policy Blogs

Afghanistan

Dying

Dying

It becomes tougher and tougher to read my Afghanistan related news feeds as it is becoming filled with reports of NATO and American casualties: Britain, which lost 8 of its soldiers in just a few days, has been doing some of the toughest fighting trying to capture Taliban-controlled districts in Helmand Province.  Though there has […]

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Bring in the British Cavalry?

Bring in the British Cavalry?

History is important.  It shows us what was tried in the past and how well it succeeded or failed.  It is for this reason, I bring you Patrick Devenny’s (no relation) analysis of Captain Charles Trower’s, a British cavalry officer who attempted to corral Pashtuns for the British Empire, memoirs.  Trower was in charge of […]

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British Resolve Being Tested

British Resolve Being Tested

In the past week, British soldiers fighting to takeover and hold Helmand Province from the Taliban have faced mounting casualties and it is no surprise that the folks back home are showing signs of being rattled.  The British military lost 10 soldiers in the past week alone and the nation’s total of men killed in […]

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From Russia with Realist Intentions

From Russia with Realist Intentions

“We reaffirm our commitment to the goals of the common fight against the threats of terrorism, armed extremism, and illegal drug trafficking in Afghanistan.  We shall continue and develop our cooperation in the interest of enhancing the capabilities of the government of Afghanistan to accomplish key socioeconomic objectives, to raise living standards, and to ensure […]

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Strike of the Sword

Just a day after most US troops vacated Iraqi cities, signaling the beginning of the end of the American military presence in Iraq, American forces launched one of their largest offensive campaigns in Afghanistan.  Approximately 4,000 marines partnered with helicopters and armored convoys made a major push into the Taliban dominated Helmand Province yesterday in […]

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Kyrgyzstan's Manas Air Base: The Americans Got To Keep Their Base But Who Really Won?

Just days after American military officials stated their readiness to logistically remove their presence from the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, it appears they can unpack their bags, or at least the ones without weapons. The Kyrgyz parliament has approved a more limited American presence in the country and has received a hefty raise on […]

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Check Out: Afghan Info War

Check out this Council on Foreign Relations report on Winning the Information War in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The work analyzes both American and Taliban/Al Qaeda media usage and effectiveness.  Here’s an Exerpt: With overwhelming firepower, Western armies rarely lose in combat to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. But in the communications battle, the militants appear to […]

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Shanghai-ing Over in Central Asia

Check out my review of the latest Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia over at FPA’s Central Asia blog.  I’m not cheating on you Afghanistan, I just think we should see other regions once in a while.

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Afghan Rodeo

Quick little round up… McKiernan officially out, McChrystal officially in as the top US and overall commander of forces in Afghanistan.  McChrystal, known for his special ops strategic strikes in Iraq, has been hammering the point that protecting Afghan civilians is what will bring a change in the conflict’s direction.  He is already reviewing troop […]

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Holbrooke Mike'd Up

Holbrooke Mike'd Up

A couple days ago, my US  State Department daily feeder cooked me up this press conference by US Afghan/Pakistan Envoy Richard Holbrooke. The Q & A, though centered on Holbrooke’s most recent trip to Pakistan and the Gulf States, held several interesting items regarding Afghanistan and the nascent Obama administration strategy for the region. Right […]

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'Osama' Film Review

'Osama' Film Review

Below is a movie review of the Afghan film ‘Osama’ by FPA’s Global Film Review blogger Sean Patrick Murphy.  If you have seen the film please let us know what you thought about it in the comments.  Enjoy… “Osama” is the story of a 12 year-old girl living in Afghanistan during the rule of the […]

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Air Strikes to Pierce Your Heart

Reports are slipping out from the US military’s official investigation into the accidental bombing of civilians in Afghanistan’s Farah Province last month and it looks like the US is admitting some mistakes.  The investigation, according to the LA and NY Times, acknowledges that all rules of engagement were not followed during the incident, including reports […]

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Obama Cairo Speech: Afghanistan Made It In!

Obama Cairo Speech: Afghanistan Made It In!

I apologize for my absence as we have been having good ol’fashioned technical difficulties.  There are many Afghan-related in the past week and I hope to catch up and comment on at least a few of them (McChrystal’s testimony, airstrikes and civilian casualties, poppies, etc.), but for now let’s discuss what President Obama said in […]

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Book Review: Ahmed Rashid 'Taliban'

Book Review: Ahmed Rashid 'Taliban'

Rashid, a highly touted Pakistani journalist, begins the final chapter of his 2000 ‘Taliban’ by calling the country one of world’s ‘orphaned conflict’s’.  The country would quickly change from being orphaned to a month after 9/11 being the center of global politics, as the United States uprooted the Taliban government and sent them packing, unfortunately […]

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Open the Gates

Open the Gates

US Defense (or is it War) Secretary Robert Gates spoke candidly about the war in Afghanistan to group of reporters yesterday aboard an Air Force plane. Gates, who has gone from a seemingly short, holdover type term to one filled with significance, warned that unless “a perceptible shift in momentum” occurs with the Obama administration’s […]

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