Thursday, May 31, 2012

Diamond Jubilee: Britain marks Queen's reign

LONDON (AP) — The patriotic bunting is ready, the golden carriage on standby, the boats freshly painted, the shops filled with royals souvenirs.

- Diamond Jubilee: Britain marks Queen's reign


News for Queen Elizabeth II Has Met 12 U.S. Presidents

John Edwards owns up to 'sins' in wake of mistrial

"While I do not believe I ever did anything illegal … I've done an awful, awful lot that was wrong," Edwards said after jurors found him not guilty of one charge of violating federal election laws. The judge had declared a mistrial after jurors deadlocked on five other charges. -
John Edwards owns up to 'sins' in wake of mistrial - latimes
John Edwards: 'I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong'
John Edwards not guilty on 1 count, mistrial declared in other 5

John Edwards Not Guilty on 1 Count, Jury Hung on 5 Others - ABCnews

A North Carolina jury found John Edwards not guilty on one of six counts in a campaign-finance trial, and declared itself hopelessly deadlocked on the remaining charges, leading the judge to declare a mistrial on those counts. - John Edwards Verdict: Not Guilty, But Hung Jury on 5 Counts
News for Edwards not guilty on 1 count; mistrial ...

How the Afghan war ends -- Japan Times

LONDON — The recentNATO summit in Chicago was mostly about how to get NATO troops out of Afghanistan without causing too much embarrassment to the Western governments that sent them, and a little bit about how to ensure that the Taliban don't take over again once Western troops leave. - News for How the Afghan war ends

Best Teas for Stress and Anxiety - doctoroz

The following teas are all wonderful for helping your body process stress, relax, and heal from the depletion that can occur as a result of long-term stressors. - The Dr. Oz Show

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Mastering the Finer Points of American Slang

While learning American idioms has always been challenging, texting, email and social networks have generated a tidal wave of new slang and abbreviations in English. It is difficult enough to decode "OMG" (Oh my God) "BFF" (best friends forever) and "GTG" (got to go), let alone understand why it's funny to call something a "fail" (but not a "failure"). Mastering the Finer Points of American Slang - The Wall Street J
News for Mastering the Finer Points of American Slang

The American Agenda in Afghanistan: a Civilian’s Review - IAN POUNDS, Kabul

Afghanistan:  Every single day on my way to the orphanage I see dozens of children picking through garbage and begging, one legged men holding hands out, women cloaked in burqas, or chardaris, pleading for food. I see garbage and sewage everywhere, while the few making millions off this war build mansion after mansion and drive around in $100,000 SUVs. Men willing to work for a dollar a day line the streets vying for the one job today.

For the most part, in one long breath this is what western taxpayers have unknowingly funded: the establishment of a police state for the maintenance and protection of a non-functioning and corrupt mega-bureaucracy dominated by war criminals, drug traffickers, human traffickers and even Taliban-like extreme fundamentalists set up to legitimize a parallel universe, a tiny minority indoctrinated into all the trappings of capitalism and consumerism and an oil-based economy. - News for The American Agenda in Afghanistan: a ...

The American Agenda in Afghanistan: a Civilian's Review

UN drugs and crime official urges concerted effort against narcotics

29 May – Highlighting the importance of political commitment and action, the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, today welcomed efforts by the Afghan Government to combat the menace of trafficking and production of narcotics in the country. - UN drugs and crime official urges concerted effort against narcotics
UN-backed survey shows sharp rise in opium production and prices
2011 Afghan Opium Survey

I Don’t Think We Have Been Defeated - Bruce Riedel

Editor's Note: Bruce Riedel discusses his optimism toward the progress of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan in a recent interview with Deutsche Welle, but cautions that the real problem is Pakistan. - I Don't Think We Have Been Defeated in ... - Brookings Institution

داستاد خلیل الله خلیلی مړې پس له ۲۵ کلونو افغانستان ته ولیږدول شو

دافغانستان نامتو شاعر ارواح ښاد استاد خلیل الله خلیلی دمړې پاتې برخې پس له ۲۵ کلونو له پاکستانه افغانستان ته ولیږدول شو. استاد خلیل الله خلیلی د ۱۳۶۶ لمریز کال دثوردمیاشتې پ۱۴ نیټه دپاکستان په اسلام آباد ښار کې له دی نړې سترګې پټې کړې۰ -  داستاد خلیل الله خلیلی مړې پس له ۲۵ کلونو افغانستان ته ولیږدول شو
جسد خلیل‌الله خلیلی در دانشگاه کابل دوباره به خاک سپرده شد

Afghans Who Helped U.S. Forces Still Hope For Visas - NPR

Three years ago, Congress established a visa program for Afghan interpreters and others who might be at risk for their work with the U.S. But so far, few of those visas have been granted, as NPR's Quil Lawrence reports from Kabul. - News for Afghans Who Helped U.S. Forces Still Hope ...
Memorial Honors Americans Killed In Afghanistan

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

America's murderous drone campaign is fuelling terror - Seumas Milne

Hi-tech drone death squads are creating a dangerous global precedent, which will do nothing for US security - America's murderous drone campaign is fuelling terror -

Saddam Hussein's daughter seeking publisher for his memoirs - Guardian

Saddam Hussein's daughter is looking for a publisher for her late father's handwritten memoirs, according to a report from the Arab news channel Al Arabiya. - Saddam Hussein' s daughter seeking publisher for his memoirs

Syria Diplomats Expelled By Governments Around The World - huffingtonpost

PARIS -- Governments around the world expelled Syrian ambassadors and diplomats Tuesday, an unusual, coordinated blow to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime following a gruesome massacre that the United Nations said involved close-range shootings of scores of children and parents in their homes. - Syria Diplomats Expelled By Governments Around The World

Afghanistan: We Forgot History and We Repeated It

The western forces that occupied Afghanistan in 2001 have failed to achieve their military or political objectives and are now sounding the retreat. - Afghanistan: We Forgot History and We Repeated It - Eric Margolis Drug-Financed Salafi Jihadism by Peter Dale Scott - Peter Dale Scott

"افغان حکومت د جنګي جرمونو راپور د نه خپریدو هڅه کوي"

د مدني ټولنو یو شمېر غړي ادعا کوي، چې افغان حکومت غواړي د بشر د حقوقو د خپلواک کمسیون د غړو په ټاکنه کې د ځنډ په راوستو سره د هغه راپور د خپریدو مخه ونیسي، چې په کې د تیرو دریو لسیزو حالات رانغاړل شوي.-  "افغان حکومت د جنګي جرمونو راپور د نه خپریدو هڅه کوي" چرا گزارش جنایت سه دهه جنگ افغانستان به نشر نمی رسد؟

Ryan Crocker Slips Quietly Away -- Kelley B. Vlahos

In other words, they come, they go, and Afghanistan still stands as a paradox and a plague on our high foreign policy aspirations. The sands of time shift ever so slightly, enough for the next head full of steam to thunder out there like an iron belly engine (only to find that, like the others, the tracks only go so far).  - Ryan Crocker Slips Quietly Away
Afghanistan: We Forgot History and We Repeated It - Eric Margolis

Monday, May 28, 2012

Afghan Dam Saga Reflects U.S. Travails - WSJ

Afghan King Mohammed Zahir Shah conceived the dam project in the mid-1940s to irrigate a breadbasket in the desert. President Harry Truman embraced the project as part of the struggle for global dominance with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. - Afghan Dam Saga Reflects U.S. Travails - Wall Street Journal
امریکا د کجکي بند په بیارغولو۴۷۱ میلونه ډالر لګوي

U.S. Winds Down Longer Benefits for the Unemployed - nytimes

Hundreds of thousands of out-of-work Americans are receiving their final unemployment checks sooner than they expected, even though Congress renewed extended benefits until the end of the year. - U.S. Winds Down Longer Benefits for the Unemployed
Long-Term Joblessness Still a Problem

Romney tells vets dangerous world demands powerful military

(Reuters) - Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney chose Veterans Day to proclaim to the American people his conviction that the world is a dangerous place, and the United States must remain its most formidable military power. - Romney tells vets dangerous world demands powerful military ...
Assad faces new international pressure after massacre

عضو کنگره آمریکا: چرا کرزی احساس خطر می‌کند -- دانا روهراباکر - عضو مجلس نمایندگان آمریکا از ایالت کالیفرنیا

از زمانی که رئیس جمهور حامد کرزی، درماه آوریل مانع ورود من به افغانستان شد، پرسش های زیادی در این مورد ایجاد شده است. او در ۲۱ ماه مه در مصاحبه‌ای که با شبکه سی‌ان‌ان داشت، من را متهم کرد که طرفدار تجزیه افغانستان هستم، در مسائل داخلی این کشور مداخله می‌کنم و تهدیدی برای نحوه زندگی مردم آن هستم. -- عضو کنگره آمریکا: چرا کرزی احساس خطر می‌کند
Wolf Blitzer's interview with Hamid Karzai

Blaze at Qatar shopping centre kills 19 - BBC

A fire at a shopping centre in the Qatari capital Doha has killed at least 19 people, local officials have said. - News for Blaze at Qatar shopping centre kills 19
آتش سوزی در قطر دست کم ۱۹ کشته به جا گذاشت

افغانستان به دنبال امضای تفاهمنامه درازمدت با چین است

معاون وزارت خارجه افغانستان می گوید با توجه به نقش رو به افزایش چین در منطقه، افغانستان در نظر دارد با این کشور و برخی کشورهای عضو سازمان همکاریهای شانگهای تفاهنامه همکاریهای درازمدت امضا کند. -  افغانستان به دنبال امضای تفاهمنامه درازمدت با چین است
روزنامه‌های کابل: یکشنبه، ۷ جوزا

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Ongoing conflict severely limits tourism in Afghanistan - usatoday

KABUL, Afghanistan — Tourism was once a significant business in Afghanistan. In the 1970s, about 120,000 tourists visited the country each year, generating millions of dollars in income for Afghans, says Baha. - News for Ongoing conflict severely limits tourism in ...

U.S. Efforts Fail to Curtail Trade in Afghan Opium

KABUL, Afghanistan — For years, American officials have struggled to curb Afghanistan’s opium industry, rewriting strategy every few seasons and pouring in more than $6 billion over the past decade to combat the poppies that help finance the insurgency and fuel corruption. - News for U.S. Efforts Fail to Curtail Trade in Afghan ...
U.S. Efforts Fail to Curtail Trade in Afghan Opium - The New York ...

پول ایران برای جلوگیری از تصویب سند ستراتیژیک هدر رفت

تصویب موافقتنامهء همکاری های ستراتیژیک درازمدت میان افغانستان و امریکا از سوی ولسی جرگهء افغانستان، مسالهء است که در صفحات شماری از روزنامه های چاپ امروز کابل انعکاس یافته است.- پول ایران برای جلوگیری از تصویب سند ستراتیژیک هدر رفت

The West's Afghan Workers Fear NATO Withdrawal

With the German army pulling out of Afghanistan in 2014, hundreds of Afghan workers fear they will become victims of revenge by the Taliban, who have already condemned them as traitors. German authorities are already preparing for a wave of visa applications. - Taliban Death Threats: The West's Afghan Workers Fear
Think Tank Criticizes Germany's Role in NATO - SPIEGEL

Afghan family killed by Nato air strike - Guardian

A Nato air strike has killed eight members of one family at their home in a part of eastern Afghanistan that has seen heavy fighting this year, officials say. - News: NATO strike kills Afghan family – local officials -

میلیبند: له افغانستانه د ځواکونو ایستل به زموږ د قواوو قربانۍ ضایع کړي

د بریتانیا د کارګر ګوند مشر میلیبند خبرداری ورکړ چې نړیواله ټولنه باید له افغانستان څخه د خپلو ځواکونو د ایستلو پرېکړه په دغه هیواد کې د سیاسي حالاتو له پرمختګ سره وتړي او کنې د بریتانیايي پوځیانو د تېرې یوې لسیزې د قربانیو نتیجې به له خطر سره مخامخ شي. - میلیبند: له افغانستانه د ځواکونو ایستل به زموږ د قواوو قربانۍ ضایع کړي
Miliband visits Afghanistan and warns international community must 'up its game'...

China Digs in to Afghanistan | The National Interest

Our visit to Kabul, however, was part of a larger project tracking the interests and influence of a power that is digging in for the long term. As the United States and its NATO allies prepare to pack their bags, China is looking toward a long presence in Afghanistan with mining, energy and transport projects.   - China Digs in to Afghanistan

U.S. Efforts Fail to Curtail Trade in Afghan Opium

KABUL, Afghanistan — For years, American officials have struggled to curb Afghanistan’s opium industry, rewriting strategy every few seasons and pouring in more than $6 billion over the past decade to combat the poppies that help finance the insurgency and fuel corruption. - U.S. Efforts Fail to Curtail Trade in Afghan Opium - The New York ...
U.S. Hopes Assad Can Be Eased Out With Russia's Aid

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Afghanistan's fabulous ruby mines plundered by thieves

Only a few hours' drive from the Afghan capital Kabul is an area renowned for some of the world's brightest and most valuable rubies. But this wealth is being plundered by thieves, corrupt officials and the Taliban, as the BBC's Bilal Sarwary discovers. - Afghanistan's fabulous ruby mines plundered by thieves
News for Afghanistan's fabulous ruby mines ...
Afghanistan's fabulous ruby mines plundered by thieves « RAWA ...

ولسی جرگه موافقتنامه ستراتیژیک بین افغانستان و امریکا را تصویب کرد

موافقتنامهء همکاری های ستراتیژیک درازمدت با امریکا در حالی از سوی اعضای ولسی جرگهء افغانستان تصویب شد که به گفتهء برخی از منابع حکومتی افغانستان، ایران و پاکستان کمپاین وسیع را در کابل به راه انداخته اند تا نماینده گان مردم در
شورای ملی این موافقتنامه را تصویب نکنند.- موافقتنامه ستراتیژیک جهت تصویب به ولسی جرگه فرستاد شد 
مجلس افغانستان توافقنامه استراتژیک با آمریکا را تصویب کرد

NATO - Official text: Chicago Summit Declaration on Afghanistan
Statement by President Karzai in the NATO Summit in Chicago
Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Islamic ...

Friday, May 25, 2012

In Annual Rights Report, U.S. Warns Of 'Instability' Following Arab Spring

The U.S. State Department says Afghanistan faced continuing human rights challenges in 2011. The State Department said widespread violence and corruption remained the main problems in Afghanistan, along with torture and abuse of inmates. The violence included insurgent groups’ killings of officials, but also indiscriminate attacks against civilians. - In Annual Rights Report, U.S. Warns Of 'Instability' Following Arab Spring
U.S. praises Arab Spring but warns of instability

ایران بخاطر رد سند ستراتیژیک ملیونها دالر را اختصاص داده است

بنابر اظهارات یک منبع حکومت افغانستان ایران در آستانه آغاز بحث در مورد پیمان همکاری های درازمدت ستراتیژیک بین افغانستان و امریکا در ولسی جرگهء این کشور، تلاش ها را برای پرداخت پول به یک تعداد از وکلا شدت بخشیده است. - ایران بخاطر رد سند ستراتیژیک ملیونها دالر را اختصاص داده است
کانگرس امریکا در مورد کمپنی سوپریم فود تحقیق می کند

Zardari: Musharraf "murdered my mother"

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer he blames former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for his mother's death.  - Musharraf 'murdered my mother,' says Bhutto son

The Terror State We Call Our Ally - Michael Hirsh

“It is a failure of diplomacy of the highest order, where we have had the lives of our people at stake,” Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and the United Nations, told NJ for the cover story in this week’s issue, “Paralyzed by Pakistan.” In order to keep the Pakistanis even marginally cooperative, Khalilzad said, “I think frankly we have been too cautious and willing to pay too high a price.”  - The Terror State We Call Our Ally - Michael Hirsh - NationalJournal

U.N. reports little progress in Syria toward peace

(Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council in a letter on Friday there has been little progress toward peace in the 14-month-old conflict between Syrian government forces and an increasingly militarized opposition. - U.N. reports little progress in Syria toward peace
News for Lebanese Syria hostage release delayed ...

In Italy, Economy and Law Leave Many Single Fathers Broke and Homeless

MILAN — The pain of Europe’s economic crisis is shared by almost everyone. But it is apparently being felt sharply in some countries by a new class of people: divorced men who end up impoverished or on the streets as they struggle to maintain themselves while keeping up child support and alimony payments. - In Italy, Economy and Law Leave Many Single Fathers Broke and ...

Facebook’s Royal Wedding

THE wedding of Mark Zuckerberg to Priscilla Chan last weekend here in the backyard of their $7 million home had all the staging of a carefully orchestrated celebrity event. - Facebook's Royal Wedding - The New York Times --  Just Call It a Pre-Prenup

U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Finds Traces Of More Highly Enriched Uranium In Iran

In its periodic report on Iran's nuclear program, the United Nation's nuclear watchdog said it found traces of uranium enriched to a level higher than it had previously reported. - U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Finds Traces Of More Highly Enriched Uranium In Iran
U.N. Finds Uranium in Iran Enriched to Higher Level

Stocks Fall On Wall Street As Spanish Bank Teeters

NEW YORK (AP) — Another flare-up in Europe's debt crisis knocked U.S. markets lower Friday. This time, it was more trouble at a major Spanish bank. - Stocks Fall On Wall Street As Spanish Bank Teeters : NPR

.تاکید رئیس جمهوری فرانسه بر ادامه همکاری با افغانستان

فرانسوا اولاند، رئیس جمهوری فرانسه در سفر به کابل گفته است که کشورش، پس از پایان ماموریت نظامی نیز به همکاری خود با افغانستان در بخش‌های توسعه، آموزش و پرورش و اقتصاد ادامه خواهد داد.- تاکید رئیس جمهوری فرانسه بر ادامه همکاری با افغانستان
'کشف نشانه‌هایی از تولید اورانیوم با غلظت ۲۷ درصد' در ایران

Egypt Muslim Brotherhood seeks presidential poll allies - BBC

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has called for talks to "save" the uprising ahead of a presidential election run-off. - Key Egypt candidate seeks allies

French President Meets With Karzai in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan —President François Hollande of France made a surprise visit to French troops in Kapisa Province on Friday, assuring them that their mission in Afghanistan would be over this year. - French President Meets With Karzai in Afghanistan - NYTimes
Miliband urges world leaders to up their game over Afghanistan - BBC

Release of the 2011 Human Rights Report

Secretary Clinton (May 24): "Men and women who want to speak, worship, associate, love the way they choose – we will defend their rights; not just on the day we issue these reports, but every day." Full Text» View Reports»
Release of the 2011 Human Rights Report - US Department of State
2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

نام های افرادی که از کابل بانک مقروض اند افشا شد

رییس بخش تصفیه کابل بانک اسمای این افراد را در اجلاس روز چهارشنبه ولسی جرگه فاش کرد. عبدالحمید محبی گفت که این اشخاص میلیون ها دالر را به عنوان  -  نام های افرادی که از کابل بانک مقروض اند افشا شد

Thursday, May 24, 2012

This is not an exit strategy for Afghanistan, it's a surrender strategy - Con Coughlin

We all know that Mr Obama and David Cameron have lost interest in the Afghan campaign. It's too costly, and there are no votes in it. So let's get out at the earliest opportunity and leave the Afghans to clear up their own mess. This is not an exit strategy for Afghanistan, it's a surrender strategy - Afghanistan

TIME‎ - The Best News Out of Afghanistan - Joe Klein

In the beginning, as American troops pushed toward Baghdad in March 2003, General David Petraeus asked Rick Atkinson of the Washington Post a famous question: "Tell me how this ends?" For years, the Petraeus question has stood as a sober, unanswered counterpoint to George W. Bush's swaggering, inaccurate mission accomplished banner.- News for What's the Best News Out of Afghanistan?

Senate panel votes to extend government’s broader surveillance authority - washingtonpost

The vote is the first step toward what the Obama administration hopes will be a speedy renewal of an expanded authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor the U.S. e-mails and phone calls of overseas targets in an effort to prevent international terrorist attacks on the country. - News for News for Senate panel votes to extend FISA ...
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act News, Photos and Videos ...

House panel demands answers for alleged overbilling in Afghanistan - washingtonpost

Congressional investigators have given the Defense Logistics Agency and the contractor that provides virtually all food supplies to U.S. troops in Afghanistan 10 days to explain why the military paid more than $750 million in what it now alleges were double-billed and excessive charges. - News for Investigators want explanation of alleged ...
کانگرس امریکا در مورد کمپنی سوپریم فود تحقیق می کند
News for U.S. lawmakers probe food contract for ...

Senate committee cuts Pakistan aid over conviction

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate panel expressed its outrage Thursday over Pakistan's conviction of a doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden, cutting aid to Islamabad by $33 million — $1 million for every year of the physician's 33-year sentence for high treason. - News for Senate committee cuts Pakistan aid over ...
Senate committee cuts Pakistan aid over conviction - Yahoo! News

Insight: Iran's "Great Game" in Afghanistan

(Reuters) - With most foreign combat troops set to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014, Iran is using the media in the war-ravaged nation to gain influence, a worrying issue for Washington. News for Insight: Iran's "Great Game" in Afghanistan
Senators penalize Pakistan for jailing doctor who aided CIA

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Construction work of a Japan-funded runway begins at Kabul Airport

Japan is considered among the largest donor countries to Afghanistan. It has helped about $ 5 billion dollars during the past ten years in the sectors of education, health, transport and several other fields. - Construction work of a Japan-funded runway begins at Kabul Airport ...
Construction work of a Japan-funded runway begins at Kabul Airport

Analysis: Looming end of Afghan mission leaves NATO with identity crisis

(Reuters) - NATO put on a brave face at its Chicago summit but the reality is that the alliance has been weakened by the euro zone crisis and faces an identity crisis about what its role will be once it ends its intervention in Afghanistan in 2014. - Analysis: Looming end of Afghan mission leaves NATO with identity crisis
Afghans back Chicago deal, warn West to keep promises

مردم افغانستان نسبت به آیندهٔ خود خوشبین هستند: رویترز

کابل:- خبرگزاري رويترز گزارش داد: مردم افغانستان نسبت به طرح ناتو براي خارج ساختن سربازان خارجي از اين كشور تا پايان سال 2014 خوشبين بوده اما به مقامات غربي نسبت به تداوم پايبندي به وعده‌هاي خود براي تامين مالي و امنيت افغانستان هشدار مي‌دهند. - مردم افغانستان نسبت به آیندهٔ خود خوشبین هستند:
Afghans back Chicago deal, warn West to keep promises - reuters

At NATO summit, Ban urges commitment to ‘enduring’ support for Afghanistan

21 May – While re-affirming the continued engagement of the United Nations in Afghanistan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the country’s international partners to remain committed to supporting the Central Asian nation even as they pull out their troops.   At NATO summit, Ban urges commitment to 'enduring' support for ...
Top UN relief official calls for greater investment in development in ...

General says Afghanistan will need "combat power"

(Reuters) - The United States will require "significant firepower" in Afghanistan in 2013-14, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces there said, but decisions about further U.S. troop reductions will only be made after this fall at the earliest.- News for General says Afghanistan will need ...
General says Afghanistan will need "combat power" - Yahoo! News
Afghans back Chicago deal, warn West to keep promises

Hopes fade for quick progress at Iran nuclear talks

The world powers pushed Iran to give up key pieces of its nuclear program, while Iran complained that they were not offering a “balanced” proposal. - Hopes fade for quick progress at Iran nuclear talks - latimes

With Crocker's exit, a chance for a new approach to Afghanistan

Crocker brought to the table a familiarity with Muslim culture. He speaks Arabic and served as ambassador in Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as previous stints as ambassador to Pakistan and to Afghanistan, immediately after the US embassy was reopened in early 2002. - News for With Crocker's exit, a chance for a new ...

Pakistan jails doctor who helped find bin Laden: why the US may not intervene

The doctor who helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden has been sentenced to 33 years in jail. But perhaps US-Pakistan relations have fallen so low that the US doesn't care anymore. - Pakistan jails doctor who helped find bin Laden: why the US may not ...

EU still looking for way forward on Greece, growth, and euro zone - csmonitor

The latest summit in Brussels concluded with wide agreement that something needs to be done but with little consensus on what to do. - EU still looking for way forward on Greece, growth, and euro zone

Egypt votes with hope and fear - CSMonitor

Egyptians took the the polls today in the first competitive presidential election in a lifetime, brought on by last year's populist uprising.- News for Egypt votes with hope and fear
In Egypt presidential poll, fault lines even within families

Editorial: Messy Afghanistan War heads for uncertain ending

It's official. The United States and its war weary NATO allies are pulling out of Afghanistan — win, lose or draw. A year from now, primary combat responsibilities will belong to the Afghan army, and by the end of 2014 America's longest war will end, 13 years after it began, save perhaps for a small residual force. - Editorial: Messy Afghanistan War heads for uncertain ending

Lost in transition: A political strategy for Afghanistan - Foreign Policy

After Chicago, there is an urgent need to ensure that a strategy for the upcoming political transition in Afghanistan, and in particular the 2014 presidential election, receives similar policy attention as has been devoted to the security transition and the SPA.
News for Lost in transition: A political strategy for ...
Promises, promises: The U.S.-Afghan Strategic Partnership

Taliban, Afghan neighbors could hamper NATO's exit

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The NATO summit's plan to "responsibly wind down" the Afghan war is not entirely in the hands of President Barack Obama and his fellow world leaders. - News for Taliban, Afghan neighbors could hamper ...

Ryan Crocker’s Afghanistan: Mission Impossible

In late 2001, shortly after the Taliban’s collapse, a young, relatively unknown Pashtun tribal leader was named as interim leader of Afghanistan by an international conference at Bonn, Germany. Just 10 days later, one of America’s top troubleshooting diplomats landed in Kabul. -- Daily Beast‎
Ryan Crocker’s Mission Impossible

The New Great Game -- National Interest

Once the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, Washington will no longer set the rules in Southwest Asia. - The New Great Game - Jerry Meyerle
NATO Muddles Through in Chicago - James Joyner

Islam and McCarthyism | The National Interest

The instant-Islam-experts have been cashing in for more than a decade, and some of them have virtually no credentials other than an obviously strong dislike of Islam (and an equally strong desire to get paid). - News for Islam and McCarthyism - John R. Schindler
Saudi Arabia's More Perfect Union - Bruce Riedel

Rohrabacher: Karzai will abandon Afghanistan after US withdrawal - The Hill

Rohrabacher on Monday told The Hill he never called for splitting up Afghanistan, saying Karzai and others have "totally misrepresented my position" on the issue

Rohrabacher: Karzai will abandon Afghanistan after US withdrawal

Hamid Karzai blows top over Dana Rohrabacher

“A democratically elected congressman of the United States of America should not be talking of an ethnic divide in Afghanistan, should not be interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, should not be asking the Afghan people to have a federal structure as against what the Afghan constitution has asked for, should not be speaking disrespectfully about the Afghan people or the various ethnic groups in Afghanistan,” Karzai said in an interview with CNN. “If an Afghan did that from Afghanistan, how would you react to him in America?”- Karzai blows top over Rohrabacher - POLITICO

دور دیگری از تنش میان پاکستان و امریکا

دور دیگری از تنش میان پاکستان و امریکاکنفرانس سران ناتو در شیکاگو نشان داد که پاکستان در پی تداوم تنش با ایالات متحده امریکا و غرب، به صورت بی سابقه منزوی شده است. بارک اوباما، رییس جمهور ایالات متحده امریکا، همتای پاکستانی اش را نادیده گرفت.  - دور دیگری از تنش میان پاکستان و امریکا
 رای کمیته سنای امریکا به کاهش کمک به پاکستان

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Exclusive – US envoy to Afghanistan to step down shortly - euronew

The Obama administration is considering Deputy Ambassador James Cunningham to replace Crocker when he leaves the post as early as this month, sources familiar with the matter said. - News for Exclusive – US envoy to Afghanistan to step ...

AFP: US ambassador to Afghanistan 'plans to quit'

The Chicago promise -- 'Afghanistan will not stand alone' - chicagotribune

The NATO summit wrapped up Monday with an agreement that was all but assured before the first world leader stepped off a plane at O'Hare. U.S. and NATO troops will move to a supporting role in Afghanistan next year, letting Afghan security forces take the lead across the country. By the end of 2014, most of the 130,000 NATO and U.S. forces will be out. - The Chicago promise

In Afghanistan, NATO exit plan raises concerns about stability (+video)

NATO plans to transition security control to Afghan forces over the next two years, but many Afghans question their ability to hold the gains that have been made. - In Afghanistan, NATO exit plan raises concerns about stability (+video)

Pakistani official: Position to soften on NATO supply line - csmonitor

“We have to show flexibility in our stance, because it is in Pakistan’s mutual interest,” says Chaudry Fawad, who is the special assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani. - Pakistani official: Position to soften on NATO supply line
News for In Afghanistan, NATO exit plan raises ...

US war veterans tossing medals back at Nato was a heroic act - The Guardian‎

"No amount of medals, ribbons, or flags can cover the amount of human suffering caused by this war." - News for US war veterans tossing medals back at ... --

Exclusive: U.S. envoy to Afghanistan to step down shortly

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. diplomat Ryan Crocker is expected to step down soon from his post as President Barack Obama's envoy to Afghanistan, departing the U.S. mission in Kabul as the United States negotiates a host of challenges on its course out of the long, costly war. - News for US Envoy to Afghanistan to Step Down ...
NATO sets "irreversible" but risky course to end Afghan war

Karzai: I will not let congressman into Afghanistan

"Until he changes his tongue, until he shows respect to the Afghan people, to our way of life and to our constitution ... No foreigner has a place asking another people, another country to change their constitution. Have we ever asked the United States to change its constitution?" - Karzai: I will not let congressman into Afghanistan – CNN
News for Obama confident Afghans can take security ...

Obama, at NATO summit, vows to end Afghan war 'responsibly' - latimes

 On the final day of the two-day NATO summit, Obama said stabilizing Afghanistan was a vital mission, but he reiterated that the goal of the gathering was to put the U.S. and its allies on a path to terminate their direct involvement in the unpopular conflict even though years of fighting by the Afghans still remain.- Obama, at NATO summit, vows to end Afghan war 'responsibly'
Obama and Karzai meet, cite NATO commitment to Afghanistan

Karzai: I will not let congressman into Afghanistan

CNN - Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Rohrabacher have been at loggerheads over the congressman's push for a more decentralized Afghan government. - Karzai: I will not let congressman into Afghanistan
Karzai met with President Obama - CNN
News for Blitzer to interview Afghan President Hamid ...

Day of Subdued Protests Follows Night of Clashes in Chicago - nytimes

It was a subdued ending for a city that had, for months, braced for chaos that a global summit meeting might bring and had, for ages, bristled at the images from its 1968 Democratic convention, when the police and protesters battled for days. - Day of Subdued Protests Follows Night of Clashes in Chicago
NATO Agrees on Afghan Security Transition in 2013

Monday, May 21, 2012

NATO accepts Obama timetable to end war in Afghanistan by 2014

Chicago (CNN) -- NATO leaders signed off Monday on President Barack Obama's exit strategy from Afghanistan that calls for an end to combat operations next year and the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international military force by the end of 2014. - Karzai met with President Obama
Blitzer to interview Afghan President Hamid Karzai – The Situation ...
News for Blitzer to interview Afghan President Hamid ...

Obama: No 'Optimal Point' on US in Afghanistan

CHICAGO (AP) — President Barack Obama says there will never be an "optimal point" at which the United States' work in Afghanistan will be finished. But he says the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is sound as it withdraws troops from the country. - News for News for Obama: No 'Optimal Point' on ...

Afghans to Take Over Security Next Year, NATO Agrees - nytimes

CHICAGO — President Obama and leaders of America’s NATO allies on Monday agreed to end their lead role in the decade-long war in Afghanistan next summer, saying it is time for the Afghan people to take responsibility for their own security and for the American-led international troops to go home. - Afghans to Take Over Security Next Year, NATO Agrees

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Chief, Sees Financial Aid For Afghan Forces

WASHINGTON -- NATO's secretary-general says he's optimistic that the international community will continue to finance the Afghan security forces. - NATO Chief Sees Financial Aid For Afghan Forces - The Huffington ... Afghanistan : Pictures, Videos, Breaking News - The Huffington Post

Exclusive interview Afghan President Hamid Karzai

CNN's Wolf Blitzer sits down with Afghan President Hamid Karzai for an exclusive interview at the NATO summit in Chicago. This will air Monday during the 5pm ET hour on CNN. - News for Exclusive interview Afghan President ...

NATO accepts Obama timetable to end war in Afghanistan by 2014

Chicago (CNN) -- NATO leaders signed off Monday on President Barack Obama's exit strategy from Afghanistan that calls for an end to combat operations next year and the withdrawal of the U.S.-led international military force by the end of 2014. - NATO takes up Obama's Afghan timetable

NATO: Rights Key to Afghanistan’s Security

(Chicago) – NATO governments at the May 20-21, 2012, summit in Chicago should endorse measures to bolster oversight and accountability of Afghan security forces and to protect women’s rights. - NATO: Rights Key to Afghanistan’s Security - Human Rights Watch

هشدار اوباما به ناتو: روزهای سختی در افغانستان در پیش است

باراک اوباما رئیس جمهوری آمریکا در اجلاس سران ناتو در شهر شیکاگو، که مساله عقب نشینی نیروهای خارجی از افغانستان دستور کار اصلی آن است، هشدار داده که "روزهای سختی" در پیش است. - هشدار اوباما به ناتو: روزهای سختی در افغانستان در پیش است
نهادهای مدنی: در کنفرانس شیکاگو حقوق بشر را فراموش نکنید
Obama warns Nato of 'hard days ahead' in Afghanistan

At NATO summit on Afghanistan, few women's voices heard

Afghan women and international rights advocates are growing increasingly concerned that a decade-long focus on expanding Afghan women’s rights will go when US and NATO forces leave. - News for At NATO summit on Afghanistan, few ...

NATO takes up Obama timetable to end war in Afghanistan by 2014

Chicago (CNN) -- NATO countries are expected to sign off Monday on U.S. President Barack Obama's exit strategy from Afghanistan that calls for an end to combat operations next year and the withdrawal of troops by the end of 2014. -  NATO takes up Obama timetable to end war in Afghanistan by 2014
  • G-8 leaders take up eurozone crisis, possible Greek exit
  • Obama and the NATO General: Different views on Afghanistan - csmonitor

    At the NATO summit in Chicago, President Obama emphasized the coming end of the war. But Marine Gen. John Allen, the NATO Commander in Afghanistan, said US troops will be fighting there through 2014. - Obama and the NATO General: Different views on Afghanistan

    Sunday, May 20, 2012

    Obama and Karzai meet, cite NATO commitment to Afghanistan - latimes

    Officials said the summit will not resolve questions of who will pay for Afghanistan’s long-term development. The Obama administration has offered to pay about half the estimated $4.1 billion required, but other countries have yet to make sufficient financial pledges to make up the difference. - Obama and Karzai meet, cite NATO commitment to Afghanistan
    For Afghanistan's Karzai, funding tops NATO summit agenda

    Egypt presidential race gets new twist: Mubarak-era figure surges - latimes

    Presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafik, Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, rises in the polls days before the election. He may not win but could become a spoiler. - Egypt presidential race gets new twist: Mubarak-era figure surges At NATO summit, warm welcome for most leaders, but not Pakistan's

    NATO to endorse Afghan exit plan, seeks routes out

    (Reuters) - NATO leaders will endorse plans to hand over combat command in Afghanistan by mid-2013 on Monday and seek practical progress in opening routes to bring an international army of more than 130,000 back home from an unpopular, resource-draining war. - NATO to endorse Afghan exit plan, seeks routes out
    News for G8 leaders vow to combat financial turmoil

    At NATO Summit, Obama Says 'Hard Days' Ahead For Afghanistan - NPR

    World leaders are meeting with President Obama in his hometown of Chicago for a two-day NATO summit focused heavily on Afghanistan. -  At NATO Summit, Obama Says 'Hard Days' Ahead For Afghanistan
    News for White House Balances Money, Security In ...

    د افغانستان پر راتلونکو انتخاباتو د کرزي او اوباما خبرې

    د افغانستان ولسمشر حامد کرزي پرون د شیکاګو د سرمشریزې تر پیلېدو مخکې د امریکا له ولسمشر بارک اوباما سره د څه باندې یو ساعت په مخه یو په یو وکتل او د افغان امنیتي ځواکونو د تمویل، ځواک لېږد او له افغانستان سره د امریکا او نړیوالې
    ټولنې د ملاتړ د دوام په اړه یې خبرې وکړې. - د افغانستان پر راتلونکو انتخاباتو د کرزي او اوباما خبرې
    ناټو له پاکستانه په کلکه وغوښتل چې د افغانستان په ثبات کې مرسته وکړي

    U.S.-Pakistan Rift Clouds NATO Summit - WSJ

    Obama Seeks Allied Support For Long-Term Afghan Strategy; Deal With Islamabad Over Supply Routes Remains Elusive - U.S.-Pakistan Rift Complicates NATO Summit
    Afghan Poppy Blight Adds Uncertainty to Course of War

    As Chen Guangcheng arrives in the U.S., concern persists over family members left behind

    The blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng, who had been at the center of a diplomatic row between the U.S. and Chinese governments, completed a four-week journey from confinement in a rural Chinese village to the freedom of New York, arriving Saturday night after a flight from Beijing with his wife and two children. - As Chen Guancheng flies to U.S., concern persists over family ..