Threats
In Russian Bounties, Former Diplomats See Effort To Mess With US — But Not Much More
Moscow’s strategic calculus is much harder to parse.
Policy
Political Fight Over Russian Bounty on US Troops Appears to Warp Intel Debate
Democrats suspect the White House is trying to paint the assessment as less solid than it is.
Threats
Bounties Are Part of Moscow’s Aid to the Taliban, Current and Former Intel Officials Say
It's not yet a foregone conclusion, but Russia has long been suspected of helping the militant group.
Policy
Trump To Sanction ICC Officials Investigating Alleged US War Crimes In Afghanistan
The court’s top prosecutor found that the U.S. military may have committed “torture.”
Ideas
Trump Wants to Leave Afghanistan Before Election Day? Hold Him to It
None of the arguments for delaying the inevitable make sense.
Threats
Afghanistan Drawdown Continues Despite Violence, Ghani Announcement
The Afghan president said that his side would be resuming “offensive” operations against the Taliban.
Threats
Afghanistan To Resume ‘Offensive’ Actions Against Taliban In Blow To Peace Deal
How that will affect U.S. plans is anybody’s guess.
Ideas
Pull US Troops, not Diplomats and Development Experts, from Afghanistan
America’s interests are no longer furthered by military might in the country, but we can still help in other ways.
Ideas
What Will Iran Do As the US Negotiates a Withdrawal from Afghanistan?
Tehran is eager to deepen its influence on Kabul, the Taliban, and other Afghan actors.
Threats
Coronavirus Halts Military Travel In and Out of Iraq and Afghanistan
No one comes in until they've quarantined for 14 days, CENTCOM says.
Ideas
Finding ‘The End’ to Our Story in Afghanistan May Be The Best We Could Do
There are Taliban peace talks in my novel, too. No spoilers, but you can bet how that goes.
Threats
The US Is Helping the Taliban Fight ISIS, CENTCOM's Top General Says
Gen. McKenzie turned heads with testimony about “very limited support” for an enemy who is also an enemy of an enemy.
Policy
Afghanistan Withdrawal Begins Amid Taliban Attacks on US Allies
Critics say the withdrawal deal puts too much faith in the Taliban.
Ideas
No One Has Tried This Kind of US-Taliban Deal
A study of nearly 200 modern peace accords shows what has worked. The list doesn't include "negotiate withdrawal, then negotiate peace."
Policy
As Taliban Attack, Esper and Milley Downplay 'Mixed' Results of Peace Deal
Joint Chiefs chairman argued before Congress that the Taliban’s “small low-level” attacks on Afghan forces don't violate their four-day-old agreement with the United States.
Policy
Explainer: The US-Taliban Deal in Afghanistan
What's in the recent agreement between the United States and the Taliban? What might still derail it?
Threats
US' Afghanistan Drawdown Will Continue Amid Taliban Violence, Pentagon Says
“I would caution everybody to think that there’s going to be an absolute cessation of violence in Afghanistan — that is probably not going to happen,” Milley said.
Ideas
Beware a Peace Deal That May Spell War
There are important questions still to be answered about Afghanistan and the United States.
Policy
Will Trump’s Afghanistan Peace Deal Win Him Votes?
"I would not say that Afghanistan looms over American politics now the way that Iraq did,” said one analyst.
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