Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Afghan Government Moves to Bolster Leading Bank

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan government intervened to shore up a deeply troubled bank on Tuesday, sending shock waves through the capital and prompting fears that Afghanistan’s pervasive corruption had now put the country’s entire financial system at risk. - Afghan Government Moves to Bolster Leading Bank - nytimes
Sen. Boxer vows to hold Obama accountable on Afghanistan troop withdrawals - latimes

Text: President Obama’s Address on Iraq - nytimes

Americans across the political spectrum supported the use of force against those who attacked us on 9/11. Now, as we approach our 10th year of combat in Afghanistan, there are those who are understandably asking tough questions about our mission there. But we must never lose sight of what’s at stake. ....... Text: President Obama’s Address on Iraq
Obama Says Iraq Combat Mission Is Over

Sarah Sayeed, Ph.D. - huffingtonpost

What lessons are my child and other Muslim students learning about freedom of speech when politicians like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich have turned our religion into a political football, erroneously associating Islam with terror and fascism? ..... More, - Building Shared Cultural and Spiritual Spaces: Lessons in the Mosque Debate
Muslims debate FBI presence at mosques - washingtonpost
Should Park 51 project proceed? - CNN

Obama: 'It is time to turn the page' on Iraq war - washingtonpost

Obama, who has long contrasted the Iraq war he opposed with the Afghanistan invasion he supported, linked the two once more. "Because of our drawdown in Iraq, we are now able to apply the resources necessary to go on offense" in Afghanistan and elsewhere against Al Qaeda, he said. ..... -- Obama: 'It is time to turn the page' on Iraq war
Obama delivers Oval Office address on Iraq
'The American combat mission in Iraq has ended'

افغانستان گرهگاه تضادهای منطقه ای، چرا؟

افغانستان گرهگاه تضادهای منطقه ای، چرا؟
افغانستان ته د ډاكټر رشاد حسين راتګ

دومین انتخابات ولسی جرگه در سایه تقلب
اهداف پشت پرده روسيه در کمک به حل مشکلات

Obama Declares End to U.S. Iraq Combat - nytimes

WASHINGTON — President Obama formally declared an end to the combat mission in Iraq Tuesday night, telling the nation that, after seven years of war that claimed more than 4,400 American lives, it is ‘’time to turn the page’’ toward another war, Afghanistan, and toward pressing problems at home.

“We must never lose sight of what’s at stake,’’ Mr. Obama said. Sounding much like his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, he warned, “As we speak, al Qaeda continues to plot against us.’’ .... - Obama Declares End to U.S. Iraq Combat
Text: President Obama’s Address on Iraq

Tax Cuts That Make a Difference

Tony Blair's book: Diana, Alastair Campbell, Afghanistan and drinking - guardian

"Whatever New Labour had in part, she had in whole," Tony Blair writes of Diana, Princess of Wales, whose death in a car crash in 1997 brought a nation on to the streets and provided the Labour prime minister with one of his most celebrated media opportunities: he stood outside his Sedgefield constituency church and dubbed her "the people's princess". -- Diana, Alastair Campbell, Afghanistan and drinking
Tony Blair talks exclusively to Martin Kettle

Checkpoint: Ambassador to U.S. ordered to leave

After serving as Afghanistan's top diplomat in Washington for seven years, Ambassador Said Jawad said Tuesday that his government has ordered him to vacate his post in September. .... - Checkpoint: Ambassador to U.S. ordered to leave
Afghan ambassador leaving post in Washington

Corruption Probe Ruffles US-Afghan Relations - AP
Gates hails shift in focus to Afghanistan

Afghan authorities take over biggest bank to avoid meltdown - washingtonpost

KABUL - Afghanistan's Central Bank has taken control of Kabul Bank, a politically potent financial institution partly owned by President Hamid Karzai's brother, and ordered its chairman to hand over $160 million worth of luxury villas and other property purchased in Dubai for well-connected insiders, according to Afghan bankers and officials. - Afghan authorities take over top private bank
An Afghan exodus, of bank notes
In Afghanistan, signs of crony capitalism

In Afghanistan, Buying Friends Doesn't Buy Loyalty

Rooting out corruption is a key part of the U.S. military's counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan. But recent revelations that a member of the Afghan government is on the CIA payroll has raised questions about how secret intelligence operations in Afghanistan can complicate the overall mission. - Listen to the Story
In Afghanistan, Buying Friends Doesn't Buy Loyalty
Prosecutor investigating Afghan corruption wasn't fired, official says

Afghanistan Needs A Hero: How A Unifying National Leader Can Bring Peace - huffingtonpost

The above photo of President John F. Kennedy welcoming the former and last King of Afghanistan, Zahir Shah, to the White House in September, 1963 made me think about the parallels that exist between these two icons. Both were immensely popular, tried to push progressive reform and fought for peace in our time. Americans reminisce about the days of Camelot the way Afghans long for the return of Royalty. They are tragic figures - Kennedy taken away too young, the King ousted too soon - and both left this earth with unfinished business. Fortunately for the United States, most of Kennedy's dreams were ultimately realized, whereas Afghanistan's future was shattered by more than 30 years of unending war. - More

His name was King Zahir Shah, a Pashtun who presided over the most peaceful era in Afghan history - a run lasting forty years until ousted by a family coup in 1973. He could have laid the foundation for another epoch of peace until his passing in 2007, but we'll never know because of outside interference led by none other than the United States. Thus, instead of being left a society on a path towards stability, Afghans are only left to wonder "What if?"........ More,
Michael Hughes: Afghanistan Needs A Hero: How A Unifying National ...

Monday, August 30, 2010

Afghanistan's Karzai 'doubts Nato anti-Taliban policy'

Mr Karzai warned that night raids and civilian casualties risk turning Afghans against his government and the mission to defeat the Taliban.
One senior official said: "The president is of the view that if we want to fight corruption, we have to go and fight all corrupt officials. There are some that are earning millions through contracts. There are people who are supported through contracts by the US government. They include parliamentarians, some governors and ex-governors. They should be arrested too." -- Karzai 'doubts Nato-led strategy' - BBC
AFP: Afghan corruption official denies report he was fired

Congressman calls meeting with Karzai disturbing - washingtonpost

WASHINGTON -- A Democratic congressman, just back from Afghanistan, criticized Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday for failing to stem corruption infesting his country's government. --- Larsen said he was especially annoyed that Karzai appeared to blame everyone but himself for his country's problems. -- "Nothing is Hamid Karzai's fault," he said in summing up Karzai's view. -- Congressman calls meeting with Karzai disturbing

Afghan president criticizes anti-terror strategy
Top Karzai aide says U.S. must alter its strategy

مبارزه علیه فساد عنوانی برای کتمان فساد

یکی از مقامات ارشد قضایی کشور که گویا تازه از وظیفه برکنار شده است، ادعا کرده است که برکناری او در نتیجه‌ی عدم پذیرش فرمان رییس دولت مبنی برمتوقف ساختن تحقیقات درباره‌ی فساد‌ در سطح بالاترین مقامات حکومتی بوده است. آقای فضل محمد فقیریار، معاون سارنوالی کل افغانستان گفته است که تحقیقات در مورد بیش از بیست مقام ارشد افغان، به شمول وزرای کابینه، سفرا و والی‌ها توسط محمد اسحاق الکو، لوی‌سارنوال و دیگران مطلقا متوقف شده است ..... - مبارزه علیه فساد عنوانی برای کتمان فساد
کوتاهی دولت افغانستان در مبارزه با فساد اداری
Graft-Fighting Afghan Prosecutor Dismissed- nytimes

مبارزات انتخابات پارلمانی افغانستان در سایه نا امنی
رییس ارگان‌های محل: والی‌های مخالف نظام هنوز هم والی هستند
والی‌های مخالف نظام از سوی چه کسانی حمایت می‌شوند؟‌

مشاور ویژهء بارک اوباما با تعداد از محصلین افغان ملاقات کرد

Will Chinese Mining Venture Bring Wealth or Heartbreak to Afghanistan?‎

The United States initially welcomed China's $3.4-billion investment to develop Afghanistan's largest copper mine. But today, three years later, China has made little progress on the roads and power plants it promised for Afghanistan, and some U.S. experts worry China is repeating the lax business practices they've seen in other international Chinese projects. -- Will Chinese Mining Venture Bring Wealth or Heartbreak to Afghanistan?

Hamid Karzai lines up ultimate showdown with Nato with plan to stay in power - telegraph

Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan president, is intent on using next month's parliamentary elections as a platform to change the constitution and extend his presidency beyond the current two term limit, it has been claimed. -- Hamid Karzai lines up ultimate showdown with Nato with plan to ...
Karzai 'fired' anti-corruption lawyer after top official stung

American Concerns Over Karzai Deepen - WSJ

State Department Seeks Information About Ouster of Afghan Prosecutor as Tensions Grow Over Anticorruption Effort ... - American Concerns Over Karzai Deepen - WSJ

Karzai Aide Scandal Underscores Afghan Anticorruption Failures
Five Afghan election campaigners killed

ملاقات با مخالفین کرزی،مناقشۀ پالیسی اضلاع متحده را برملا می سازد.

افغان جرمن آنلای - ملاقات با مخالفین کرزی،مناقشۀ پالیسی اضلاع متحده را برملا می سازد.

Meeting with Karzai opponents highlights U.S. policy dispute ... - McClatchy Newspapers

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Afghan President Criticizes Anti-Terror Strategy

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- President Hamid Karzai has again criticized coalition strategy in fighting Afghanistan's stubborn insurgency, saying it has thus far produced nothing but civilian deaths. -- Afghan President Criticizes Anti-Terror Strategy

Afghan Fatalities Rise in Weekend Violence
Coalition: Attacks in Afghanistan leave more than 30 insurgents dead

Orange County Is No Longer Nixon Country - ADAM NAGOURNEY

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Orange County has been a national symbol of conservatism for more than 50 years: birthplace of President Richard M. Nixon and home to John Wayne, a bastion for the John Birch Society, a land of orange groves and affluence, the region of California where Republican presidential candidates could always count on a friendly audience. -- Orange County Is No Longer Nixon Country

پترییس: مراکز اساسی القاعده در خارج افغانستان موقعیت دارند

جنرال پترییس، قوماندان عمومی نیرو های ائتلاف در افغانستان میگوید، مراکز اساسی دهشت افگنی و القاعده در خارج از افغانستان موجود است که سبب نگرانی ایالات متحده، افغانستان و همچنان پاکستان شده است
او میگوید، باید مبارزه اساسی در آن مناطق صورت بگیرد
جنرال پترییس در نشستی که با مسوولان رسانه های داخلی پیرامون تلاش های نظامی و ملکی مشترک حکومت افغانستان و نیرو های ائتلاف داشت تاکید نمود که چالش های فراه راه حکومت داری، امنیت و باز سازی در افغانستان وجود دارد، ولی کار های مثبتی هم در این کشور صورت گرفته است..... - پترییس: مراکز اساسی القاعده در خارج افغانستان موقعیت دارند
ځارنوال افغان ضد اختلاس می گوید او از کارش برطرف شده است
افغان دولت :کارکوونکي ئې دCIAمعاش نه خوري - benawa online pashto world

Obama Pledges Commitment to New Orleans - nytimes

NEW ORLEANS—President Obama on Sunday sought to assure this city, battered by two catastrophic disasters in five years, that federal efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina will not waver even as the city struggles with the aftermath of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. -- Obama Pledges Commitment to New Orleans
Op-Ed: Katrina Memory

Afghan prosecutor says he has been forced to retire - latimes

The deputy attorney general has complained that the attorney general and others are blocking corruption cases against high-ranking government officials. Now he's out of a job. -- Afghan prosecutor says he has been forced to retire

Mount Sinabung in Indonesia erupts; one dead, more than 10000 evacuated

It's an explosion 400 years in the making. -- A volcano that had been long dormant in Indonesia has erupted, spewing lava and sand nearly a mile into the air on Sunday. -- One person has been killed, and more than 10,000 have been evacuated, officials said. -- Mount Sinabung in Indonesia erupts; one dead, more than 10000 evacuated

Would New Orleans levees hold for a second Katrina? CSM

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Study: More omega-3 fats didn't aid heart patients - AP

NEW YORK - Eating more heart-healthy omega-3 fats provided no additional benefit in a study of heart attack survivors who were already getting good care, Dutch researchers report. - Study: More omega-3 fats didn't aid heart patients
ESC: It's Not Butter and It's Not Better MedPage Today
Omega-3 margarines no help in heart attack: study Reuters (press release)

On Faith: Christians must reject "Burn a Quran Day" - washingtonpost

"Burn a Quran Day" is how a church in Florida is preparing to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11. So far the Christian response to this in America has been nearly dead silence. --- The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has issued a press release opposing Burn a Quran Day. This is good, but it is basically just a statement to assure non-Evangelical Christians that Terry Jones does not represent authentic Evangelical Christianity. -- Christian extremism
Controversy shakes Muslim youth in US
Many factors shape American views of Islam Tampabay.com
Should Park 51 project proceed? - CNN
Is Islam a primary driver or cause of terrorism? - John Esposito

Afghan president condemns CIA payment reports

KABUL, Afghanistan -- "We strongly condemn such irresponsible allegations which just create doubt and defame responsible people of this country," it said. .... --Afghan president condemns CIA payment reports - AP
CIA making secret payments to members of Karzai administration
CIA pays officials around Karzai - washingtonpost

Afghan deputy attorney general forced to retire‎

KABUL, Afghanistan — A top Afghan prosecutor who has complained that the attorney general and others are blocking corruption cases against high-ranking government officials said Saturday that he had been forced into retirement. .... - Afghan deputy attorney general forced to retire
Afghan president condemns CIA payment reports - washingtonpost

At Lincoln Memorial, a Call for Religious Rebirth

WASHINGTON — An enormous and impassioned crowd rallied at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, summoned by Glenn Beck, a conservative broadcaster who called for a religious rebirth in America at the site where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech 47 years ago to the day. - At Lincoln Memorial, a Call for Religious Rebirth - nytimes

Frank Rich: The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party - By FRANK RICH

Years Later, No Magic Bullet Against Alzheimer’s Disease - nytimes

BETHESDA, Md. — The scene was a kind of science court. On trial was the question “Can anything — running on a treadmill, eating more spinach, learning Arabic — prevent Alzheimer’s disease or delay its progression?” .... - Years Later, No Magic Bullet Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Graft-Fighting Prosecutor Fired in Afghanistan

One of Afghanistan’s top prosecutors said President Hamid Karzai, above, fired him after he repeatedly refused to stop corruption inquiries. ...... -- Graft-Fighting Afghan Prosecutor Dismissed
Insurgents Attack NATO Base and Camp in Afghanistan - nytimes

مقامات-دولتي؛ -سهامداران - كمپنی-های-امنيتی -- Killid

مقامات دولتي؛ سهامداران كمپنی های امنيتی
که زور میشود؛ حکومت یا شرکت های امنیتی

تلاش مافیا برای کشت چرس --- مشاركت روسيه و اهداف پشت پرده

Religion: Ramadan Lessons for All of Humanity - Queen Noor of Jordan, huffingtonpost

Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic year. We observe it this year against a backdrop of intensifying global human suffering, caused by economic hardship, human rights abuses, military conflict and terrorism, and the rapidly multiplying disastrous consequences of climate change. Muslims have an opportunity to use the days of this month as God intended: to reflect on our own humanity and our collective duty towards our fellow human beings. ..... More, - Ramadan Lessons for All of Humanity
Is Islam a primary driver or cause of terrorism? - John Esposito

In Afghanistan, a car for the masses - washingtonpost

IN KABUL Afghanistan, graveyard of empires - and Toyota Corollas. -- If this war-torn nation of 29 million is a magnet for foreign occupying forces that never seem to leave, it is also the land where old Corollas from around the globe come to die. -- In Afghanistan, a car for the masses

Kiss This War Goodbye - Frank Rich

US officials: CIA pays Afghan government officials

"This agency - acting in strict accord with American law - plays an essential role in promoting our nation's goals in Afghanistan, including security and stability," he said. "Speculation about who may help us achieve that is both dangerous and counterproductive." -- US officials: CIA pays Afghan government officials - AP
CIA pays officials around Karzai - washingtonpost

Graft-Fighting Afghan Prosecutor Dismissed - nytimes

Friday, August 27, 2010

Post-2011 role in Afghanistan undecided, Harper says - National Post

Nothing is decided about Canada’s role in Afghanistan post-2011, despite a federal briefing document suggesting the country spend about $550-million over three years for a civilian mission aimed at keeping a lid on terrorism, the prime minister says. -- Post-2011 role in Afghanistan undecided, Harper says
Assignment Kandahar: Villagers flee as campaign against insurgents intensifies

Muslims and Jews among biggest supporters of Barack Obama - telegraph

The Gallup survey, which tracked opinions over a period from January 21 to July 31 showed 78 per cent of Muslims and 61 per cent of Jews approved of the US president's job performance. -- Muslims and Jews among biggest supporters of Barack Obama
US troop withdrawal deadline a 'boost' to Taliban

Kucinich: Afghanistan is 'spy versus spy carnival of corruption'

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) accused the United States of turning Afghanistan into a "spy versus spy versus spy carnival of Corruption." " We are paying all sides to fight all sides and to betray all sides ," Kucinich charged in a statement released on Wednesday. ... -- Kucinich: Afghanistan is 'spy versus spy carnival of corruption'

You Can't Buy an Afghan Politician; You Can Only Rent One

US pullout plans give Taliban a boost in Afghanistan, says Hamid Karzai

The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, has criticised American plans to start withdrawing troops from the country next summer, saying that naming the date has given the Taliban insurgency "a morale boost"..... -- US pullout plans give Taliban a boost in Afghanistan, says Hamid Karzai

Bernanke Signals Fed Is Ready to Prop Up Economy - nytimes

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, said Friday that the central bank was determined to prevent the economy from slipping into a cycle of falling prices, even as he emphasized that he believed growth would continue in the second half of the year, “albeit at a relatively modest pace.” -- Bernanke Signals Fed Is Ready to Prop Up Economy

'خروج زود هنگام نیروها از افغانستان فاجعه ساز است'

اندری اویتیسیان، سفیر روسیه در افغانستان، هشدار داده که خروج زود هنگام نیرو های خارجی از افغانستان منجر به یک فاجعه خواهد شد.
او می گوید هنوز زود است که از عادی شدن وضعیت و برقراری صلح در این کشور صحبت کرد. این دیپلمات ارشد روسی همچنین توانایی نیرو های امنیتی افغان را برای گرفتن مسوولیت های امنیتی زیر سوال برد...... - 'خروج زود هنگام نیروها از افغانستان فاجعه ساز است'
ژنرال آمریکایی: جدول خروج نیروها طالبان را دلگرم می کند

Afghanistan's Karzai criticises US troop pullout

US Republican Congressman Bob Inglis, who was at the meeting with Mr Karzai, said the president asked for more help in stopping attacks from across the border with Pakistan. - BBC News - Afghanistan's Karzai criticises US troop pullout
نشریات کابل: پنجشنبه 4 سنبله
سیلابهای تازه در افغانستان 'شش کشته' برجا گذاشت

Flow of imports drags down economic growth - washingtonpost

A widening U.S. trade deficit has become a substantial drag on economic growth as the country's exports struggle to keep pace with the swelling sums that Americans are again spending on imported goods. ..... - Imports drag down growth
Tax-cut dynamics changing
Maybe style can be taught

CIA making secret payments to members of Karzai administration - washingtonpost

"They'll pay whoever they think can help them," the U.S. official said. "That has been the CIA attitude since 2001." --- U.S. and Afghan officials said the CIA is not the only foreign entity using secret payments to Afghan officials to influence events in the country. ..... -- CIA making secret payments to members of Karzai administration
یک تعداد اطرافیان کرزی، جیره خوران سی، آی، ای می باشند
«مقدارهنگفت پول از طریق میدان های هوایی به خارج انتقال داده می شود»
Karzai Aide in Corruption Inquiry Is Tied to C.I.A. - nytimes

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Aggressive Tactics in Afghanistan: Special Forces Ratchet Up Fight Against Taliban

Through nighttime attacks and drone strikes, special forces led by the United States have massively ratcheted up their hunt for Taliban. -- Special Forces Ratchet Up Fight Against Taliban
Afghanistan Looks with Dread at Approaching Elections
The Afghanistan Protocol: Explosive Leaks Provide Image of War from Those Fighting It

War logs: free speech ruling 'likely' - The Guardian

US supreme court justice Sonia Sotomayor has said the court is likely to have to rule on the issue of balancing national security and freedom of speech due to WikiLeaks posting a cache of US military records about the Afghan war. -- WikiLeaks war logs posting 'will lead to free speech ruling'

US Stocks Lower As Concern On US Economic Recovery Continues

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Stocks were set for another day of declines amid renewed concerns about the pace of the US economic recovery. -- US Stocks Lower As Concern On US Economic Recovery Continues
Stocks slump on slowdown fears CNNMoney
Los Angeles Times - MarketWatch

Afghan president questions U.S. timeline for leaving - USA Today

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — President Hamid Karzai on Thursday criticized the U.S. plan to begin withdrawing troops starting next July and said the war on terror cannot succeed as long as the Taliban and their allies maintain sanctuaries in Pakistan. --- Afghan president questions US timeline for leaving
Rangin Dadfar Spanta - Pakistan is the Afghan war's real aggressor - washingtonpost
Pakistanis Tell of Motive in Taliban Leader's Arrest‎ - nytimes

Partition of Afghanistan Is a Quixotic Adventure - Ehsan Azari Stanizai

As the fog of weariness over the war in Afghanistan is growing thicker, some political analysts have come up with the idea that the partition of Afghanistan might be the only alternative to the present counterinsurgency war. In theory, it may seem a panacea but in practice, it could be a frivolous adventure. --- This idea was put forward first in an article by Mr. Robert Blackwell, former US Ambassador to India and a presidential envoy to Iraq during the George Bush Administration, in Politico Online on July 7th and then backed up favorably by The Financial Times, Newsweek, The Washington Times and The Economist. ...... More

The reality is that these scholar-officials have a run-of-the-mill local knowledge. They perceive Afghanistan still in terms of Afghanistanism-- the American newsroom argot of the 1960s, which was used as a metaphor for a far-away, obscure and negligible place or situation. In real life, however, Afghanistan is as Richard Nixon put it in The Real War, "has long been a cockpit of great-power intrigue for the same reason that it used to be called the turnstile of Asia's fate".

Afghanistan has been an apologia for imperial miseries throughout its history. In his quest for empire, Alexander the Great was the first European emperor who rode across the Afghan mountains. After conquering Persia in six months, he found his army bogged down in an endless war in Afghanistan. "I am involved in the land of a leonine (loin-like) and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a wall of steel, confronting my soldiers. You have brought one son into the world, but everyone in this land can be called Alexander," in a famous letter, he wrote to his mother in 330 BC.

However, for all that toughness, Afghanistan has a history of partition. The country suffered the pains of partition when the British Raj drew a border (known as Durand Line) between Afghanistan and the British India in 1893. The aim of the partition was to divide and weaken the unruly Afghan tribes. More than a century later, the Durand Line remains one of the most disputed borders in the world. Pashtun tribes in Pakistan and Afghanistan have never recognized this line. In the Afghan narrative, this border represents the greatest national disgrace. ........ More

Afghanistan's recent history offers ample evidence of resistance against the old colonial motto: divide and rule. During the past three decades, Afghanistan has had no functioning government, but it remained united against foreign invasions. In a final attempt, before leaving Afghanistan, the former Soviet Union nurtured the idea of Afghanistan's partition to win the war. ...... More

Afghanistan is indeed an ethnic mosaic. Except for two or three out of 33-provinces of the country, you can hardly find a place identified with one ethnic identity. Separatism has never been an issue of concern in Afghanistan. During Afghanistan's civil war in the early 1990s, when a fierce internal competition for control of Kabul was raging, no ethnic group and no warlord ever called for partition. The anti-Soviet resistance in the north remained always as strong as in the south. And let's not forget that there are millions of Pashtun in the north as well.

Afghanistan's partition would be an invitation to a Russian roulette in the regional nuclear club. It will strengthen the Taliban beyond imagination and hearten Al-Qaeda for exploiting the crisis. Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons, and Iranian unpopular mullahs have their hearts set on. The ripple effects will reach China and Russia, who are already keen on play their parts in the great game. -- Ehsan Azari Stanizai: Partition of Afghanistan Is a Quixotic Adventure

Opinion: A de facto partition for Afghanistan - Robert D ... - ROBERT D. BLACKWILL
Afghanistan's prospects: The great endgame The Economist
Defining Success in Afghanistan Foreign Affairs

FT.com / Comment / Opinion - America must give the south to the ...
Haass: Time to Get Out of Afghanistan - Newsweek
EDITORIAL: Divide and be conquered - Washington Times

Meeting with Karzai opponents highlights U.S. policy dispute ... - McClatchy Newspapers

Mayor Bloomberg meets with Muslim cabby, calls attack 'a disgrace' - New York Post

“This is America. This is New York. I thought The Post said it perfect -- ‘What a Disgrace,’” said Bloomberg, referring to The Post's front page headline today. -- Mayor Bloomberg meets with Muslim cabby Ahmed Sharif who was ...

Slashed Cabbie Meets NYC Mayor, Suspect Charged - CBS News
'Bigot' slashes Muslim cabby - NYPOST.com

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Rangin Dadfar Spanta - Pakistan is the Afghan war's real aggressor - Opinions - washingtonpost

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Afghanistan became a rare example of international consensus. The global community, amid competing regional and international interests, undertook a military intervention endorsed and legitimized by the U.N. Security Council. It was common knowledge that al-Qaeda had created a haven in Afghanistan with the support of Pakistan's intelligence agency. Dismantling this regional terrorist infrastructure was considered vital to the international counterterrorism strategy.

Then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage delivered a message to Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, in November 2001: It could join the international coalition or be bombed "back to the stone age." Across the border, the Afghan people persecuted by the brutal rule of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as by the lordship of Pakistani generals, welcomed the international community with open arms. We have made significant progress in recent years. But our achievements in education, health, development and civil rights have been overshadowed and eroded by terrorist attacks.

There is ongoing domestic and international confusion in identifying Afghanistan's friends and foes. The Afghan people are wholeheartedly grateful to the international community for its sacrifices in blood and treasure. Unfortunately, the military-intelligence establishment of one of our neighbors still regards Afghanistan as its sphere of influence. --- While faced with a growing domestic terrorist threat, Pakistan continues to provide sanctuary and support to the Quetta Shura, the Haqqani network, the Hekmatyar group and al-Qaeda. And while the documents recently disclosed by WikiLeaks contained information that was neither new nor surprising, they did make public further evidence of the close relations among the Taliban, al-Qaeda and Pakistani intelligence. ........More, - Rangin Dadfar Spanta - Pakistan is the Afghan war's real aggressor
رنگین دادفر سپنتا - حلقه گم شدۀ جنگ بی‌فرجام
Petraeus: Reconciliation With Taliban is Ultimate ... - Foxnews
Medvedev's wishful thinking - Asia Times Online :: Central Asian ...

WikiLeaks releases CIA paper on U.S. as 'exporter of terrorism' - washingtonpost

The United States has long been an exporter of terrorism, according to a secret CIA analysis released Wednesday by the Web site WikiLeaks. ..... More, - WikiLeaks releases CIA paper on US as 'exporter of terrorism'

WikiLeaks releases 'CIA report' - CNN.com
'Secret' CIA memo on WikiLeaks is not very revelatory - latimes

Editorial: Mr. Karzai’s Promises, nytimes

The Afghan president needs to tread very carefully here. Americans are fast losing patience with the Afghan war and have all but written him off as a partner. Congress is threatening to withhold aid. ...... - Mr. Karzai’s Promises
Key Karzai Aide in Corruption Inquiry Is Linked to C.I.A.
Defining Success in Afghanistan Foreign Affairs

Afghan schoolgirls sickened by unknown gas - washingtonpost

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Dozens of students and teachers at a girls' school in Afghanistan's capital Kabul were sickened Wednesday by an unknown gas that spread through classrooms, education officials said. -- Afghan schoolgirls sickened by unknown gas
Taliban could be misleading its forces

آگاهی، ضرورت مبرم برای زنان! ونگاهی به فتوای شرعی ستر و حجاب زن درعهد دولت اسلامی ربانی

Man held without bail in NYC cab driver stabbing - washingtonpost

NEW YORK -- A college student who did volunteer work in Afghanistan was charged Wednesday with using a folding tool to slash the neck and face of a New York City taxi driver after the driver said he is Muslim. -- Man Is Held in Anti-Muslim Cabdriver Stabbing

On Faith Panelists Blog: Answering 'Will Muslims impose Shariah ... -John Esposito , Professor of religion, international affairs and Islamic studies. ALL POSTS
Mosque developer claims classic N.Y. background

Colin Powell on Obama’s “Muslim” faith - New Statesman

Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, "He's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists." This is not the way we should be doing it in America." -- New Statesman - Colin Powell on Obama's “Muslim” faith

Transcript: Colin Powell on Meet the Press Endorses Barack Obama ...
New York mayor ramps up “Ground Zero mosque” defence

U.S. Admits Human Rights Shortcomings in UN Report

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has told the United Nations that America's human rights record is less than perfect but stressed that the U.S. political system has built-in safeguards that promote improvements. -- U.S. Admits Human Rights Shortcomings in UN Report - US News and ...
U.S. Admits Human Rights Shortcomings In First-Ever U.N. Report

Man Is Held in Anti-Muslim Cabdriver Stabbing - nytimes

Taliban take comfort in US withdrawal plans, says US Gen

WASHINGTON — Taliban insurgents have been given hope they can prevail in the war as a result of President Barack Obama's July 2011 deadline to start withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan , the top US Marine said. -- Taliban take comfort in US withdrawal plans, says US Gen
The 'Obama doctrine' in US foreign Policy
'Afghan village' in British countryside is training ground for elite troops

Ben Quayle tops list of party nominees in Arizona

PHOENIX — Ben Quayle was victorious in his quest to win the Republican nomination in Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday, taking up the mantle as the front-runner to replace retiring Rep. John Shadegg in the GOP-leaning district. -- Ben Quayle tops list of party nominees in Arizona Boston Herald

Dan Quayle's son wins congressional primary
NPR - CBS News - Washington Post

Washington Veterans Take Senate Primaries

In Arizona, Senator John McCain handily dispatched his Republican challenger, J. D. Hayworth, and Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, was also victorious, as was Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont. -- Washington Veterans Take Senate Primaries

Los Angeles Times - Washington Post - New York Post - NPR

پاکستان عامل بحران در افغانستان

نیویارک تایمز از قول یک مقام ارشد پاکستانی نگاشته که پاکستان برای متوقف نمودن روند مذاکرات صلح طالبان با دولت افغانستان ملا برادر فرمانده ارشد طالبان را نزدیک به هفت ماه پیش بازداشت و زندانی نمود

این مقام پاکستانی همچنان گفته است که آنان بدنبال این حرکت 23 تن از سران طالبان را که در پروسه ی صلح دولت افغانستان اشتراک داشتند زندانی نموده اند. وی افزوده که ما ملا برادر را به خاطر آن دستگیر نمودیم که آنها می خواستند در غیاب ما با دولت افغانستان به توافق برسند

او که به دلیل حساسیت ها میان واشنگتن و اسلام آباد نخواسته نامی از وی برده شود گفته است که طالبان زیر حمایت ما هستند، با ما ارتباط دارند و ما نه می خواهیم که آنها با کرزی یا هند آشتی کنند. .... - پاکستان عامل بحران در افغانستان
سه پایگاه هوایی در افغانستان اعمارمی شود
تاکید حکومت بر لغو شرکت های امنیتی خصوصی
Pakistanis Tell of Motive in Taliban Leader’s Arrest
Secret Joint Raid Captures Taliban’s Top Commander (February 16, 2010)

Fairs help job-seekers with security clearances connect with intelligence firms - washingtompost

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, there has been a major increase in government jobs and contractor positions that require secret clearances, from janitors at spy agencies to specialized computer technicians and software developers. -- Wanted: Security clearances
Fairs help job-seekers with security clearances connect with intelligence firms
Top Secret America: A Washington Post Investigation

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Marines likely to stay in Afghanistan for years - washingtonpost

WASHINGTON -- It will likely be a few years before Afghanistan is secure enough for the U.S. Marines to leave, Commandant Gen. James Conway said Tuesday, adding his voice to a growing chorus of military leaders warning of a long fight ahead. -- Marines likely to stay in Afghanistan for years
Afghan officials challenge U.S. on aid contract abuses

CBS' Afghanistan trip unrewarded, a ratings downer
ANALYSIS: US struggles with image in Pakistan

Pakistan Flooding Disrupts Afghan War Supplies - nytimes

SUKKUR, Pakistan — The immense floods that have inundated sections of Pakistan and cut roads and railways have also disrupted the main supply lines for United States and NATO military forces in Afghanistan.
Pakistan Flooding Disrupts Afghan War Supplies

America's First Muslim President - Foreign Policy

Muslim Americans helped elect George W. Bush, but now they're leaving the Republican Party in droves. It didn't have to be this way. --- American Muslims voted two to one for George H.W. Bush in 1992. While they went for Bill Clinton by the same margin in 1996, they were brought back into the Republican fold in 2000 by George W. Bush.

And despite Bush's best efforts to separate terrorism from the faith of Islam, a growing chorus of conservative commentators was failing to make any such distinction. In October 2001, conservative pundit Ann Coulter was fired by the National Review for writing of Muslims, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity." But a few years later, such arguments were commonplace. Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo commented in 2005 that the U.S. response to terrorism should be to bomb Muslim holy cities including Mecca.

Virginia Republican Rep. Virgil Goode complained that the 2006 election of Muslim Americans such as Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison underscored the need for immigration reform (a curious argument considering that Ellison was born in Detroit to Roman Catholic parents).

In 2007, after Bush made a statement pointing to Islam's place alongside Christianity and Judaism in the Abrahamic religious tradition, conservative columnist Cal Thomas asked, "How can the president say that we all worship the same God when Muslims deny the divinity of Jesus?" --- When the House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring Ramadan in 2007, 42 Republican congressmen declined to vote in favor of it, instead voting "present."

As a Muslim American and a Republican who served in the Bush administration, I always believed that the anti-Muslim backlash was the work of a small number of cynical bigots, not the view of the vast, fair-minded majority of Americans. --- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, when asked about putting a Muslim American in his cabinet, replied that he "cannot see that a cabinet position would be justified" based on the percentage of Muslims in the country. --- If the Republican candidates treated Muslims as the enemy, the Obama campaign treated them like untouchables, keeping the Democratic candidate's Muslim supporters at arm's length throughout the election. .... More, - America's First Muslim President

PBS - Islam: Empire of Faith - Educational Resources
YouTube - Islam: Empire of Faith. Part 1: Prophet Muhammad and ...

How to Leave Afghanistan Without Losing - Foreign Policy

As prospects for an early U.S.-NATO military victory in Afghanistan fade and pressures for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces grow, the debate over U.S. policy in Afghanistan focuses increasingly on one key issue: Is it possible to negotiate terms for disengagement that would not constitute a strategic defeat? -- How to Leave Afghanistan Without Losing

How to Leave Afghanistan Without Losing - By Selig Harrison
Failure to Communicate - By Neil Shea

Defining Success in Afghanistan Foreign Affairs

Foreign Policy: Losing Afghanistan In Translation - Neil Shea

At one point in Restrepo, a new documentary film about U.S. soldiers at a small combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, Captain Dan Kearney, the officer in command, is sitting in a shura with the Korengal elders he is trying to win over. ... - Foreign Policy: Losing Afghanistan In Translation : NPR

Biden: Iraq, Afghanistan on track
Karzai relies on corruption for survival according to former ... - Examiner

CIA Man Is Key to U.S. Relations With Karzai - WSJ

The Obama administration has turned to the Central Intelligence Agency's station chief in Afghanistan to troubleshoot Washington's precarious relationship with President Hamid Karzai, propelling the undercover officer into a critical role normally reserved for diplomats and military chiefs. .... - CIA Man in Kabul Helps Reassure Karzai - WSJ
Official Threatens to Re-Arrest Afghan Aide
Defining Success in Afghanistan Foreign Affairs

Approval, Moscow Heads Back to Afghanistan

Two decades after the Soviet army left Afghanistan in humiliating defeat, Russia is poised to spend billions in the war-wracked country to develop infrastructure, mineral and energy reserves, with new plans taking shape to boost military capability. This time around, it has America's blessing. -- Russia Returns to Afghanistan with the U.S.'s Blessing - TIME
Nation: How the Soviet Army Crushed Afghanistan

نامه سرگشاده زنان افغان به حامد کرزی

این زنان ده سال گذشته در افغانستان را سالهای پر امید برای زنان این کشور توصیف کرده و تصریح کرده اند که در این سالها زنان شاهد آزادی خود از بند اسارت، تعصب و بینادگرایی بوده اند
در بخشی از این نامه با اشاره به تحولات مثبت ده سال گذشته آمده است:" این تحولات، آبروی از دست رفته افغانستان را در سطح بین المللی دوباره احیا کرد. اما با دریغ که در سالهای اخیر، این امید ها و دستاورد ها دستخوش نابسامانی و عقبگرد گردیده که فجایع انسانی چون ترور، سنگسار و تبعیض جنسیتی را به بار آورده است"

حجم بیشتر این نامه که با ستایش و ارج گزاری تلاشهای دولت و جامعه جهانی در نخستین سالهای دهه جاری، شروع شده، به نگرانی هایی اختصاص دارد که به باور این زنان اگر جدی گرفته نشوند همه دستاورد های سالهای اخیر را با خطر جدی مواجه خواهد کرد.... - نامه سرگشاده زنان افغان به حامد کرزی
روزنامه های کابل: سه شنبه، ۲ سنبله

آگاهی، ضرورت مبرم برای زنان! ونگاهی به فتوای شرعی ستر و حجاب زن درعهد دولت اسلامی ربانی

Monday, August 23, 2010

PBS - Islam: Empire of Faith

From Muhammad to the great Ottoman sultans, learn more about the history of the Islamic Empire. A companion site to the PBS series Islam: Empire of Faith. -- PBS - Islam: Empire of Faith - Educational Resources
PBS - Islam: Empire of Faith - Educational Resources

YouTube - Islam: Empire of Faith. Part 1: Prophet Muhammad and ...
Islam: Empire of Faith -Part 1
Islam: Empire of Faith - Part 2
Islam: Empire of Faith. Part 3: The Ottomans ...

BBC News - Struggle for flood aid in southern Pakistan

In southern Pakistan tens of thousands of people are fleeing a threatened flood-surge, three weeks after heavy monsoon rains first hit the country. -- Struggle for flood aid in southern Pakistan
BBC News - Flood survivors' long trek for food and supplies

Asif Ali Zardari denies Pakistan flood crisis bungling The Guardian
Telegraph.co.uk - Washington Post - MiamiHerald.com - Independent

Study Links Chronic Fatigue to Virus Class - nytimes

In a paper published Monday by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists found gene sequences from several MRV-related viruses in blood cells from 32 out of 37 chronic-fatigue patients but only 3 of 44 healthy ones. -- Study Links Chronic Fatigue to Virus Class

Pakistanis Tell of Motive in Taliban Leader’s Arrest - nytimes

Now, seven months later, Pakistani officials are telling a very different story. They say they set out to capture Mr. Baradar, and used the C.I.A. to help them do it, because they wanted to shut down secret peace talks that Mr. Baradar had been conducting with the Afghan government that excluded Pakistan, the Taliban’s longtime backer.
“We picked up Baradar and the others because they were trying to make a deal without us,” said a Pakistani security official, who, like numerous people interviewed about the operation, spoke anonymously because of the delicacy of relations between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States. “We protect the Taliban. They are dependent on us. We are not going to allow them to make a deal with Karzai and the Indians.” .... --Pakistanis Tell of Motive in Taliban Leader’s Arrest
Secret Joint Raid Captures Taliban’s Top Commander (February 16, 2010)
Top Taliban Commander Arrested, C.I.A. Played, 'The New York Times' Reports

Afghan officials challenge U.S. on aid contract abuses- washingtonpost

"Corruption is widely affecting the multimillion-dollar contracts going to Afghans, who are becoming terribly rich out of those contracts and are concerned about nothing but their own interests and profits," Omer said. "We want the international community to work with the government of Afghanistan to eliminate these sources of corruption and target the roots and sources of corruption. A major part are these international contracts."

Omer's remarks came just days after Karzai finished a series of meetings with Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who had flown to Kabul to push Karzai to crack down on corruption within his administration. .... - Afghan officials challenge U.S. on contract abuses

Live Q&A: American perception of Islam

New evidence that virus may cause chronic fatigue - washingtonpost

A well-respected team of scientists released long-awaited new evidence Monday that a virus may be playing a role in chronic fatigue syndrome. --- While providing new evidence that a virus may play a role in the mysterious condition, the researchers said the findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are no where near proving the virus causes the syndrome. -- Virus may cause chronic fatigue

Finding Alzheimer's before it hits
Dementia sufferers describe forgetting

Afghanistan Cites Abuse in Moves Against Agencies - nytimes

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan officials on Monday sought to shift the blame onto their Western critics in an escalating dispute over presidential meddling in the arrest of a top aide on corruption charges.

“Our international partners provided the basis for some people in Afghanistan to become unbelievably rich,” Mr. Omer said. “Some of them have become an economic mafia in Afghanistan. There are people who are just 30 years old and have hundreds of millions of dollars and this is something that everybody knows about.”

“There will be no political interference but we don’t want anyone taken out of their homes with chains and shackles,” Mr. Omer said, describing Mr. Karzai’s promised new rules. ..... More, Afghanistan Cites Abuse in Moves Against Agencies

پترائوس: اگر ضرب الاجل خروج از افغانستان مخاطره آمیز باشد تذکر خواهم داد

فرمانده نیروهای ناتو در افغانستان گفته است در صورت لزوم نظر صریح خود در مورد ضرب الاجل خروج از افغانستان را ابراز خواهد کرد
ژنرال دیوید پترائوس، که اخیرا به فرماندهی نیروهای ناتو در افغانستان منصوب شده، در مصاحبه ای با بی بی سی گفته است که اگر احساس کند ضرب الاجل تعیین شده توسط رئیس جمهوری آمریکا برای خروج نظامی آمریکاییان از افغانستان "بیش از اندازه مخاطره آمیز است" این نظر خود را با وی در میان خواهد گذاشت

باراک اوباما، رئیس جمهوری آمریکا، گفته است که نیروهای آمریکایی از ماه ژوئیه سال آینده خروج از افغانستان را آغاز خواهند کرد..... - پترائوس: اگر ضرب الاجل خروج از افغانستان مخاطره آمیز باشد تذکر خواهم داد
'خروج زود هنگام نیروها از افغانستان فاجعه ساز است'

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai says he intervened to secure release of imprisoned aide

Afghan President Hamid Karzai admitted Sunday to intervening on behalf of one of his top aides imprisoned on corruption charges. -- "Yes, absolutely I intervened," Karzai said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "Not only did I intervene, but I intervened very, very strongly."
Karzai said Salehi was taken from his home by armed men in the middle of the night and thrown into prison, likening the tactic to those employed by the former Soviet Union during its occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. ... More, - Karzai says he helped aide
Karzai says he sought release of aide

Karzai aide part of wider investigation, Afghan officials say‎ - washingtonpost
Pentagon expanding 3 bases in Afghanistan

Air base expansion plans reflect long-term investment in Afghanistan - washingtonpost

Three $100 million air base expansions in southern and northern Afghanistan illustrate Pentagon plans to continue building multimillion-dollar facilities in that country to support increased U.S. military operations well into the future. -- Pentagon expanding 3 bases in Afghanistan

Karzai says he sought release of aide
View All Items in This Story

New York mosque controversy worries Muslims overseas - Los Angeles Times

Some can't understand the fuss over a house of worship and how a democracy promoting religious freedom could even be having such a debate. Others are offended at the conflation of the 9/11 attacks with all Muslims.

Many Muslims abroad are miffed by the stateside debate, largely conducted by non-Muslims, that has grown so loud as to become a topic of discussion on talk shows and newspapers from Bali to Bahrain, from Baghdad to Berlin. The proposed Cordoba House has become a symbol of America's fraught relations with the world's 1.5 billion Muslims.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks and the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, America has spent millions trying to improve its image among Muslims, especially in the Arab world, from where the Sept. 11 hijackers and their leaders came. --- Like most non-Americans, Muslims across the world barely understand the vagaries of U.S. politics, including the wedge issues and posturing that turn midterm elections into mud fights.

"Building a mosque there will increase hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims in the West," said Gamal Awad, a professor at Cairo's Al Azhar University. "It will further connect Islam with a horrible event." --- But many Muslims tuning in to the debate see a demonization of their religion by some Americans, who have been painting the 1,400-year-old faith as a dangerous political ideology. .... More, - New York mosque controversy worries Muslims overseas

A Muslim's faith in America - By Haris Tarin
YouTube - Islam: Empire of Faith. Part 1: Prophet Muhammad and ...

Does America Hate Islam? - CBS News

"We respect your faith," Mr. Bush said back then, speaking directly to Muslims. "It's practiced freely by many millions of Americans. And by millions more in countries that America counts as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful. And those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah." -- Does America Hate Islam? - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

Karen Hughes: Move the New York City mosque, as a sign of unity
Graham Supports Afghan Drawdown by Next Summer

Karzai Stands Firm on Disbanding Private Security - This Week, Christiane Amanpour

Karzai Admits Intervening to Get Arrested Aide out of Jail: In an extraordinary admission, the President of Afghanistan admitted he had directly intervened to get a close aide out of prison after the aide, Mohammad Zia Salehi, was arrested on extensive corruption charges. Salehi was arrested after specific approval from the attorney general of Afghanistan, according to The Washington Post. .... -- Karzai Stands Firm on Disbanding Private Security
Karzai aide part of wider investigation, Afghan officials say‎ - washingtonpost

WATCH: WEB EXTRA: Joint Effort Needed on Terror
WATCH: Interview With Hamid Karzai

Interview With Hamid Karzai -- This Week

Afghan President Hamid Karzai talks to Christiane Amanpour on "This Week." -- WATCH: Interview With Hamid Karzai

WATCH: WEB EXTRA: Joint Effort Needed on Terror
Karzai Stands Firm on Disbanding Private Security
WATCH: Roundtable: Corruption in Afghanistan

WATCH: Debating the Ground Zero Islamic Center

Karzai Defends Contractor Phaseout - nytimes

Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, repeated his call for the removal of all private security companies in Afghanistan by the end of the year, saying on Sunday that the firms are “looting and stealing from the Afghan people” and acting as an impediment to the development of Afghan security forces. -- Karzai Defends Contractor Phaseout

Interview With Hamid Karzai - This Week

Saturday, August 21, 2010

U.S., Afghanistan plan to screen cash at Kabul airport to prevent corruption - washingtonpost

Alarmed by an exodus of money from Afghanistan, U.S. and Afghan authorities are trying to constrict a flow of cash through the country's main airport, believed to be a major conduit for drug proceeds and diverted foreign aid.

The plan, part of an effort to monitor an outflow of money thought to exceed $1 billion a year, centers on the installation of U.S.-developed currency counters at the Kabul airport. The devices would be used to record serial numbers on bills to determine whether money being carried out of the country has been siphoned from aid funds flowing in, U.S. and Afghan officials said. --Afghans, U.S. aim to plug cash drain
واشنګټن پوسټ: د کابل په هوایي ډګر کې د پیسو د کنترول ماشینونه کیښودل کیږي
Karzai aide part of wider inquiry
Kerry: Congress wary about corruption in Afghanistan
Afghanistan's Karzai meets with Kerry, backs anti-corruption teams

Karen Hughes: Move the New York City mosque, as a sign of unity

The national debate about building a mosque near Ground Zero in New York is less about our freedom of religion than about the common sense and uncommon courtesy sometimes required to come together as Americans. In our society, we are free to do many things that we nonetheless choose not to.

The proposed site of Park51, an Islamic cultural center that will include a mosque, is especially contentious because it goes to the heart of who is to blame for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. I stood in the Oval Office just two days after those horrific attacks as President George W. Bush spoke by telephone with New York Gov. George Pataki and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He highlighted the importance of distinguishing between those who committed the acts of terror and the broader Muslim community. ..... -- Karen Hughes: Move the New York City mosque, as a sign of unity
TIME Magazine Cover: Is America Islamophobic?

Blackwater export violations result in $42 million in fines
Wikileaks is barrier to shield arguments : Leak of secret papers complicates debate on guarding...

Religious leaders speak out against International Burn a Quran Day - CNN

"We feel compelled to raise our voices to proclaim that the action the Dove World Outreach Center is proposing is absolutely wrong and counter to the life and teaching of the Jesus whom we love, follow and call savior and Lord," Senior Minister Dan Johnson of Trinity United Methodist Church said, in a note posted on his church's website Wednesday.

Wednesday, the city of Gainesville denied a burn permit to the center, said Bob Woods, City of Gainesville spokesman. -- Religious leaders speak out against International Burn a Quran Day

My Take: Unpacking the 'Obama born Muslim' charge – CNN Belief ...
Stephen (Colbert) v. Stephen (Prothero) on Religious Truthiness
Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar

Even Low Tobacco Smoke Exposure Is Risky

Aug. 20, 2010 -- Even low levels of tobacco smoke exposure pose a risk to lung health, triggering potentially hazardous genetic changes, according to a new study. -- Even Low Tobacco Smoke Exposure Is Risky
Medical News Today - Healthy Living - TIME
U.S. News & World Report
Passive smoking more harmful than thought Food Consumer
How many cigarettes is it safe to smoke? - latimes

Why doesn't Obama wear his religion on his sleeve? - CSM

What will it take for Obama to convince the world that he’s a Christian, or at least not a Muslim? Teaching Baptist Sunday School like Jimmy Carter? Putting a 'My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter' bumper sticker on Air Force One? -- Why doesn't Obama wear his religion on his sleeve?
Why do so many Republicans think Obama is a socialist, a Muslim, or even the anti-Christ?

Reviving Us-Versus-Them Politics - Newsweek
Afghanistan corruption: How one town battled a shoddy school and won