Outside the Beltway

Afghans in two crucial southern provinces are almost completely unaware of the September 11 attacks on the United States and don’t know they precipitated the foreign intervention now in its 10th year, a new report showed on Friday.

Hamid Karazi says that the United States needs to reduce it’s military presence in his country. Perhaps we should listen to him.

According to reports, the Obama Administration is set to abandon the July 2011 withdrawal deadline that was set earlier this year.

Ivo Daalder, the US Ambassador to NATO, says that we are “seeing the corner and can peek around it in Afghanistan” and that a province-by-province handover of security responsibilities to the host government will “start in the first half of 2011.” But the final handover is not expected until “the end of 2014” and NATO forces will remain in an advisory capacity indefinitely. “The process will take years,” he emphasized.

According to a new book from Bob Woorward, American policy in Afghanistan is the result of a decision making process that can only be described as chaotic at best.

A US military platoon was apparently able to target innocent Afghans for murder. Without senior commanders suspecting a thing.

Regular readers know that I’ve long thought we’ve achieved all we’re going to in Afghanistan. But that doesn’t mean that our presence is therefore motivated by secret motives.

Steve Walt, Steve Clemons, Matthew Hoh and others have released a provocative new report arguing for a change in our Afghanistan strategy.

Either Obama’s Defense Secretary and commanding general are conspiring to undermine his July 11 deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan or that they’re carrying out his intent.

Holland became the first NATO member to pull out of Afghanistan. How long before the rest follow?

The American military is on a mission in Afghanistan that the public is increasingly starting to question.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won’t say whether she thinks the war in Afghanistan is worth the increasing toll on American blood and treasure.

While President Obama is pushing the Afghanistan surge, large numbers of elected Democrats are demanding we get out.

Will the Wikileaks document dump give even further impetus to the growing sentiment that the United States needs to leave Afghanistan ?

Is Ann Coulter’s defense of Michael Steele’s Afghan War skepticism the beginning of conservative split, or just an attempt to pile on President Obama ?

We need to ask ourselves some tough questions on Afghanistan.

Once again, the knives are out for Michael Steele after his recent Afghanistan gaffe.

The Chairman of the RNC is expressing doubts about America’s war effort in Afghanistan.

The odds that David Petraeus will be able to pull off a miracle in Afghanistan like he did in Iraq are very slim.

David Petraeus says he supports the President’s Afghanistan policy, including the withdrawal timetable, but that means less than most people think it does.

President Obama has relieved General Stanley Chrystal of command of ISAF.

Stanley McChrystal is being called to face Obama’s national security team this morning. They should take the opportunity to come up with coherent Afghanistan policy.

General Stanley McChrystal is opening his mouth again and, this time, it could cost him his job.

Christian Bleuer provides a 10-step solution for victory over the Taliban.