Michael O'Hanlon is a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, specializing in defense and foreign policy issues, and author of the Great Decisions 2012 article Exit from Afghanistan and Iraq. He spoke with Sarah Marion Shore about the current state of the drawdown in both countries. 1. The draft of a new strategic partnership with Afghanistan calls for a decade of continued U.S. presence and financial s ...

By James Joyner UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hinted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will suffer the fate of Laurent Gbago, Charles Taylor, or Muammar Qaddafi if his reign of violence continues. He declared, “no leader, anywhere, should imagine that he—or she—enjoys impunity for crimes of atrocity.” Speaking at the Atlantic Council Awards Dinner [2], where he received the award for Distinguished In ...

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="296" caption="Innovations in drone technology: The modern unmanned aerial vehicle in the U.S. can track its roots back to the Civil War and has been heavily influenced by innovations in Israel."][/caption] By David Ignatius During this week of retrospectives on the killing of Osama bin Laden, one of the most interesting public comments was White House counterterroris ...

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="606" caption="Images after Osama bin Laden’s death: As the anniversary of the May 2, 2011, death of Osama bin Laden approaches, here are images showing the compound where he was killed as well as Americans’ reactions to the news.Images after Osama bin Laden’s death: As the anniversary of the May 2, 2011, death of Osama bin Laden approaches, here are images showing th ...

Five permanent Security Council members issue joint statement urging Tehran to allow watchdog to inspect ‘relevant sites and information' Vienna: The five permanent members of the UN Security Council put pressure on Iran yesterday to allay international concern about its nuclear programme, and said they expected talks with Tehran to lead to concrete steps toward a negotiated solution. Iran and major powers ...

Bajaur blast claims four lives via Bajaur blast claims four lives :: CNBC Pakistan ::. ...

[caption id="attachment_786" align="alignright" width="299" caption="A picture released by Kashmiri militants in July 15, 1995 in Srinagar shows the five Western hostages somewhere in Kashmir. Hostages seated (L-R) are Keith Mangan (the UK), DrikHasert (Germany), Hans Christian Ostroe (Norway), Paul Wells (the UK) and Donald Hutchings (US)."][/caption] By Sheikh Mushtaq A government human rights commission ...

With Kabul Attack, Taliban Counter Obama's Message via With Kabul Attack, Taliban Counter Obama's Message - WSJ.com. ...