Taliban

Nations great and small largely determine their own destiny under the mercy or judgment of an ever watchful Providence.

In five years, the human rights situation in Afghanistan will be back to square one.

In the almost-19 years since they dispatched their military to Afghanistan, US policymakers and the people they represent have learned, relearned, and unlearned several lessons.

Much of Carter Malkesian’s narrative about the Afghan war is spot-on, but he gets several key events wrong.

Talks between the Trump administration and the Taliban have broken down. We should be happy they did not reach a deal, in part because an Iraq-style drawdown would leave a vacuum, and terrorists abhor a vacuum.

In fact, this finger-in-the-dam strategy is the best available option given America’s de facto preference to enjoy relative freedom from jihadist violence without the expense of solving the root problems from which jihadism springs. This style of frontier warfare is the price America pays for regional order on the cheap.

As daunting as it may be, closing the God gap is a necessary step to improving communication with Russia and other important actors in international affairs.

What does NATO need to do going forward? The short answer: more and less.

There’s at least one place that likes President Trump so much he’s been awarded a medal for bravery. The honor was bestowed by the people of Logar province, Afghanistan, after he announced that the U.S. would freeze military assistance for Pakistan, due to what he described as a record of “lies and deceit.” The president was right to take this action.