Into the Afghan Abyss (Again)

by Alfred W. McCoy After nine months of confusion, chaos, and cascading tweets, Donald Trump’s White House has finally made one thing crystal clear: the U.S. is staying in Afghanistan to fight and — so they insist — win. “The killers… Continue Reading

Osama Bin Laden’s America

by Tom Engelhardt Honestly, if there’s an afterlife, then the soul of Osama bin Laden, whose body was consigned to the waves by the U.S. Navy back in 2011, must be swimming happily with the dolphins and sharks. At the cost of… Continue Reading

Oman’s Diplomatic Bridge in Afghanistan

by Giorgio Cafiero On October 16, American, Afghan, Chinese, and Pakistani diplomats met to discuss the war in Afghanistan for the first time since the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG)’s holding of talks in Islamabad last year. Per the US State… Continue Reading

Permanent Warfare as Normality

by Paul R. Pillar The newest issue of Foreign Affairs features the theme of “America’s Forgotten Wars,” with a cover illustration that juxtaposes a carefree scene of Americans enjoying a picnic with that of American soldiers fighting and incurring casualties… Continue Reading