In one visit, President Obama turned the page from the Bush-Cheney era of cowboy leadership to one that acknowledges that in the 21st century we cannot go it alone. Merkel of Germany and Sarcozy of France went from promising disgruntlement to giving credit where it’s earned: Both credited the new U.S. president with helping to [...]
Tag Archives | Afghanistan
The Cool Customer at Defense
Robert Gates has been around a very long time. He made his bones during William Casey’s days in Afghanistan, when the C.I.A. director was running his own little covert war. In 1985, under Casey, Afghans “began cross-border operations into the Soviet Union itself,” according to Steve Coll’s Ghost Wars (pg. 104). Being Casey’s executive assistant [...]
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From ‘Family Photo’ to NATO Summit
Name those leaders, and the missing one who was reportedly in the loo. But underneath the pictures lurks international push back that puts Pres. Obama’s steel to the test. … French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel answered just hours later with a combative appearance of their own, demanding fast and strict international [...]
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President Karzai ‘Legalizes’ Rape
Originally published on Huffington Post Since my post was published at Huffington Post on Monday, there’s been even more outrage about President Karzai’s caving to the fundamentalists. Out of Canada: Defence Minister Peter MacKay said he will use this week’s NATO summit to put “direct” pressure on his Afghan counterparts to abandon the legislation. “That’s [...]
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Secretary Clinton on Iran, Russia, and Afghanistan
Andrea Mitchell had a hell of a show today, talking to Secretary Clinton on Iran, but also Russia. One aspect of the Iran issue was the human side that could be a point of interaction where we begin to have some dialogue with the Iranians outside the geopolitics of it all, something Clinton stressed. “… [...]
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Clinton’s Candor Continues
If anything reveals Secretary Clinton’s confidence, it’s her comfort in being candid on her trips abroad. This current journey is as important as it is serious for President Obama’s foreign policy, due to the recent deep commitment he’s made towards the Af-Pak region. But also because it’s not going to be easy to get others [...]
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Deadly Pakistan Gunbattle
Dawn has one harrowing account, with the actua tally of wounded and killed still unconfirmed and uncertain, with ranges from 13 dead, 52 policemen wounded, and as many as 400 held hostage. The Christian Science Monitor has an excellent media round up of the deadly Police school gunbattle in Pakistan, as the unraveling continues: Elite [...]
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Foreshadowing in an Awakening Leader Arrest?
Over the weekend the Awakening contingent ran into Iraq’s Shiite government over the arrest of their leader. I see storm clouds: …As Apache helicopter gunships cruised above Baghdad’s Fadhil neighborhood, former Sunni insurgents fought from rooftops and street corners against American and Iraqi forces, according to witnesses, the Iraqi military and police. At least 15 [...]
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Obama’s Afghanistan Strategy
There are innumerable opinions and analysis available on President Obama’s strategy going forward in Afghanistan. This is another; one that takes into account realities no one else is talking about. For one, that Vice President Joe Biden’s influence and expertise greatly influenced President Obama to take a more modest approach, for which everyone should be [...]
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The Festival of Festivals
Today kicks off the 2009 Cherry Blossom season, which will peak next week. For anyone who enjoys flowering trees, nature, birds, as well as the bursting of spring, this is the week. The Washington Post has a wonderful guide and map, filled with all sorts of information that I’m finding incredibly useful. Those nowhere near [...]
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Obama Lays Out Afghanistan Strategy
Classified briefings led up to today’s announcements. Mind you, some Republicans didn’t bother to show up. All of this was expected, with this key graph telling the tale of how serious President Obama is about his Af-Pak strategy, which is to keep the country from becoming a full on failed state, because one next to [...]
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AFGHANISTAN: Confirmation, Then a Strategy
–updated– CT or COIN is how Fred Kaplan puts our choices in Afghanistan. I’d say we need both. Rozen reports there will be a classified briefing by Richard Holbrooke this afternoon, so we’re getting closer to knowing Obama’s plans. Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry’s confirmation is today. He should fare better than Chris Hill. [...]
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A Word About the Blog
Now that I’m finally settled in D.C., I’d like to talk about what’s going on around here, which actually started after the primaries last year. Big changes, good changes, with more to come. There has been a change in the community, too, and that’s not over either. First, I made a risky decision to focus [...]
John McCain and Joe Lieberman Learned Nothing
So they decided to get together and prove it by writing a Post op-ed today on “winning in Afghanistan.” As someone who wants a limited troop increase, but most importantly more soft power and civilian involvement, which is exactly what Obama is doing, I find myself once again smack in the middle, between the “get [...]
Taliban Continues Push on Kabul
All the talks about reconciliation with the Taliban aren’t coming in a vacuum, obviously. Consider this yet another Afghan security forces nightmare, long slog edition. A top Taliban commander has told CNN his insurgents are poised and ready to attack Kabul and could strike virtually anywhere in the city. It would be tempting to put [...]
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