Taliban

The LWOT: Awlaki videos banned from YouTube, in theory; more arrests made for supporting al-Shabaab

Foreign Policy and the New America Foundation bring you a twice weekly brief on the legal war on terror. You can read it on foreignpolicy.com or get it delivered directly to your inbox -- just sign up here.

BY ANDREW LEBOVICH | NOVEMBER 5, 2010

The Karachi Project

While the world looks to Pakistan’s hinterlands, al Qaeda is swarming its largest city.

BY ALI K. CHISHTI | NOVEMBER 3, 2010

An Unnecessary War

Afghanistan used to be the central front in the war against terrorism. Now it's a distraction from it.

BY JAMES TRAUB | OCTOBER 29, 2010

Kill Screen

Is the new crop of hyperrealistic military video games driving home the reality of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, or simply exploiting them?

BY MATTHEW SHAER | OCTOBER 27, 2010

Smoke and Mirrors in Kabul

Don't believe the hype about reconciliation talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban -- this war isn't even close to over.

BY ANDREW EXUM | OCTOBER 22, 2010

From Russia With Blood

C.J. Chivers talks with Foreign Policy about the Kalashnikov, the world's real weapon of mass destruction.

INTERVIEW BY CHARLES HOMANS | OCTOBER 15, 2010

Inside Talibanistan

From the Haqqani network to the Afghan Taliban, a look at a splintered enemy. 

BY PETER BERGEN, BRIAN FISHMAN, KATHERINE TIEDEMANN | NOVEMBER 2010

Warlord TV

When Afghanistan's powerbrokers own the networks, they control what's on the air. The result: documentaries of Dostum chasing Taliban fighters across northern Afghanistan on horseback.

BY KATHERINE BROWN, TOM GLAISYER | SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

The New Lost Generation

Suicide rates for troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq are out of control, and post-traumatic stress disorder is reaching epidemic proportions. But is the Pentagon willing to tally the true cost of war?

BY RON CAPPS | AUGUST 10, 2010

Straight Outta Kandahar

What soldiers fighting the Taliban can learn from cops policing American inner cities.

BY GRETCHEN PETERS | AUGUST 4, 2010

With Friends Like These...

It’s time to wake up, Washington. Pakistan’s military is running the show in Islamabad, and the WikiLeaks revelations have only confirmed that supporting jihadi terrorist groups aren’t the actions of a few, rogue generals -- it’s government strategy.

BY SUMIT GANGULY | JULY 29, 2010

Stop Panicking About the Stingers

The WikiLeaks war logs only confirmed what we already know: The Taliban simply doesn't have the firepower to wreak havoc on Afghanistan's skies.

BY MATTHEW SCHROEDER | JULY 28, 2010

How Does the CIA Know If Its Intel Is Any Good?

Common sense, mostly.

BY CHARLES HOMANS | JULY 26, 2010

Bad Politics Is Better Than No Politics

Why Iraq's bloody democracy isn't so terrible.

BY JAMES TRAUB | JULY 9, 2010

The Afghanistan Clock

President Obama has now swapped one distinguished general for another. But he urgently needs to address the underlying issue dividing his administration: Is July 2011 a real deadline for U.S. troops to begin withdrawing, or just a clever domestic political ploy?

BY JAMES DOBBINS | JUNE 24, 2010

The Karzai Factor

The Afghan president just lost his best friend in the U.S. government. And he's not happy about it.

BY NICK B. MILLS | JUNE 24, 2010

Bank Shot

Nine years after 9/11, getting between extremist groups and their funding remains an uphill struggle.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JUNE 21, 2010

Chinese Takeout

Cold economic realities dictate that China is going to be the big player in the new Afghan gold rush -- and Washington had better wake up to that fact, soon.

BY AZIZ HUQ | JUNE 15, 2010

From Land Mines to Copper Mines

Will Afghanistan's mineral wealth rescue the country from decades of instability and poverty? It just might -- and here's how.

BY MICHAEL L. ROSS | JUNE 15, 2010

Pakistan's New Networks of Terror

It's not just about Waziristan anymore. How the country's various militias are joining forces -- and what it could mean for attacks within the United States.

BY IMTIAZ GUL | JUNE 10, 2010

Crazy Like a Fox

In a fit of anger, Hamid Karzai axes his director of intelligence, Amrullah Saleh. But is there method to his madness?

BY ELIZABETH RUBIN | JUNE 8, 2010

Drone Wars

The Obama administration won't tell the truth about America's new favorite weapon -- but that doesn't mean its critics are right.

BY C. CHRISTINE FAIR | MAY 28, 2010

Kandahar Through the Taliban's Eyes

As the U.S.-led coalition attempts to retake Afghanistan's critical southern provinces, they should first attempt to look at the conflict from their enemies' perspective.

BY GREG MILLS | MAY 27, 2010

Is the U.S. Airlifting Taliban Troops into Northern Afghanistan?

No. But the question itself poses more questions than you might think.

BY ANNA BADKHEN | APRIL 28, 2010

The Karzai Dilemma

Afghanistan's president is far from the country's only problem. But he just might be its most intractable one.

BY JAMES TRAUB | APRIL 13, 2010

How to Cut Collateral Damage in Afghanistan

Rein in the Special Forces cowboys, and let Gen. McChrystal call the shots.

BY MARC GARLASCO | MARCH 3, 2010

Bipartisan Spring

Washington may be deeply polarized on domestic matters, but when it comes to foreign affairs, a remarkable consensus is taking shape.

BY ROBERT KAGAN | MARCH 3, 2010

Down the AfPak Rabbit Hole

The village of Marjah is a meaningless strategic backwater. So why are the Pentagon and the press telling us the battle there was a huge victory?

BY THOMAS H. JOHNSON, M. CHRIS MASON | MARCH 1, 2010

Planet War

From the bloody civil wars in Africa to the rag-tag insurgiences in Southeast Asia, 33 conflicts are raging around the world today, and it’s often innocent civilians who suffer the most.

BY KAYVAN FARZANEH, ANDREW SWIFT, PETER WILLIAMS | FEBRUARY 22, 2010

Bargaining With the Devil

How should Barack Obama deal with evil?

BY ROBERT MNOOKIN | FEBRUARY 17, 2010