Central Asia

How We Invaded Afghanistan

Thirty years ago this month, Soviet airborne troops parachuted into Kabul and began a fateful occupation that became Mikhail Gorbachev’s Vietnam. Here’s the inside story of how it happened, as told by the KGB general who planned it.

BY OLEG KALUGIN | DECEMBER 11, 2009

No More Representatives, Please

The last thing we need is a new big shot envoy in Kabul.

BY NICK HORNE | DECEMBER 11, 2009

Will There Always Be a Pakistan?

Fissures within the military could tear not just the army but the entire country apart. It's coming sooner than you think.

BY SETH CROPSEY | DECEMBER 11, 2009

Obama's Indecent Interval

Despite the U.S. president's pleas to the contrary, the war in Afghanistan looks more like Vietnam than ever.

BY THOMAS H. JOHNSON, M. CHRIS MASON | DECEMBER 10, 2009

Addicted to Contractors

The United States is hooked on privatized warfare in Afghanistan. And it's more costly than you think.

BY ALLISON STANGER | DECEMBER 1, 2009

Money Can't Buy America Love

Millions of dollars are being pumped into hearts and minds projects from Kabul to Kandahar. Trouble is, it's not working. And it might even be making things worse.

BY ANDREW WILDER, STUART GORDON | DECEMBER 1, 2009

The Al Qaeda Diaries

As the Pakistani soldiers moved into South Waziristan, they found something almost as valuable as al Qaeda itself: the diaries and books that explain how militant ideology binds the diffuse world of terrorism together.

BY IMTIAZ GUL | NOVEMBER 20, 2009

Afghanistan Is Not Making Americans Safer

Will ramping up the war in Afghanistan embolden domestic terrorists?

BY PAUL R. PILLAR | NOVEMBER 19, 2009

My Nights With Hamid

The world is hounding the Afghan president to crack down on corruption and kick out entrenched warlords. I don't think he's going to do it, and I should know: I’m the man who wrote his autobiography.

BY NICK B. MILLS | NOVEMBER 19, 2009

When Generals and Ambassadors Feud

Take it from this former ambassador: Disagreements over the war in Afghanistan may do more long-term harm than short-term good.

BY JAMES DOBBINS | NOVEMBER 13, 2009

No Good Choices

You might think Afghanistan's fate lies in U.S. President Barack Obama's forthcoming strategic decision on troop levels. But the picture is bleak, no matter what.

BY J. MICHAEL GREIG , ANDREW J. ENTERLINE | NOVEMBER 11, 2009

Briefing Book: Iran's Sanctions

What could sanctions against Iran really do?

BY BRIANNA ROSEN, CHARLIE SZROM, MASEH ZARIF | NOVEMBER 10, 2009

Please Send More Than Troops

If the window closes to fix Afghanistan's government, more boots on the ground won't matter.

BY ASHRAF GHANI | NOVEMBER 10, 2009

Interview: U.N. Undersecretary-General John Holmes

The top humanitarian official for the United Nations tells FP how to do aid in a time of war. Here’s a hint: it’s not pretty.

BY ELIZABETH DICKINSON | NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Energizing Peace

Natural gas pipelines, not military supply lines, could pave the way for stability in power-starved Central Asia.

BY SALEEM H. ALI, PARAG KHANNA | NOVEMBER 5, 2009

The Avoidable Death of Afghan Democracy

Elections could be the country's undoing. Or, it could be a good start for much-needed reform.

BY GERARD RUSSELL | NOVEMBER 4, 2009

A Royal Afghan Mess

As I witnessed firsthand while working as a poll monitor, the Afghan elections has been a disaster every step of the way. Here's how not to repeat the error.

BY EVELYN N. FARKAS | NOVEMBER 2, 2009

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OCTOBER 30, 2009

The Brothers Karzai and the CIA

Is the United States paying off Kandahar's first sibling? Maybe, but who cares?

BY JEFF STEIN | OCTOBER 28, 2009

Pakistan's Baghdad Bob

Officials in Islamabad are notorious spinmeisters, but military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas is fast becoming a prevaricator without peer.

BY DAVID KENNER | OCTOBER 27, 2009

Call in the Civilians

Counterinsurgency is at least 50 percent civilian. So where have all the Foreign Service officers gone?

BY RON CAPPS | OCTOBER 26, 2009

Why Al Qaeda Wants a Safe Haven

Take it from someone who has spent the last half-decade studying terrorist plots: A homeless al Qaeda is the best guarantee against large-scale attacks.

BY JIM ARKEDIS | OCTOBER 23, 2009

A Crash Course in Democracy

Afghanistan's runoff election must be delayed -- or another debacle is a virtual certainty.

BY J. SCOTT CARPENTER | OCTOBER 21, 2009

Couch-Crashing in Tehran

This summer, the world saw an energized, passionate Iranian youth culture. I saw something a little more complicated.

BY JERRY GUO | OCTOBER 21, 2009

"See You Soon, If We’re Still Alive"

The only two Westerners living on their own in Kandahar have been bombed, ambushed, and nearly sold to kidnappers. Here's what they've learned about the country where war just won't end. 

BY ALEX STRICK VAN LINSCHOTEN, FELIX KUEHN | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009

Talking to the Taliban

As the United States fights a brutal counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, some commanders are trying a new tactic: negotiating with the Taliban.

BY ARAM ROSTON | OCTOBER 8, 2009

The Afghanistan Mess

America's new strategy review is vitally necessary. The Obama administration has gone from misstep to misstep over the last year.

BY MORTON ABRAMOWITZ | OCTOBER 8, 2009

The Rise of the Iranian Dictatorship

Tehran is increasingly relying on its military to control its citizens. Looking at the new leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, that trend seems certain to hasten.

BY GENEIVE ABDO | OCTOBER 7, 2009

Defining Victory to Win a War

After nearly a decade of war in Afghanistan, the United States has still not defined what it considers success. It needs to do so -- and here's how.

BY DAVID AXE, MALOU INNOCENT, JASON REICH | OCTOBER 6, 2009

How War Will End in Afghanistan -- Even if Conflict Does Not

If war has not addressed threats in Afghanistan, then the United States needs to address threats without war.

BY DAN REITER | OCTOBER 6, 2009