Until 2003, US policy toward Iraq had been determined by three main strategic goals: ensuring the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf, preventing any regional power from dominating the Gulf, and defending Israel. Jeb Sharp traces how Washington alternately shunned and cultivated Baghdad, and how US policy toward Iraq evolved after 9/11.
The Los Angeles Times has published graphic photos showing U.S. military personnel posing with the dead bodies of Afghan insurgents. The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan wasted little time condemning the actions in the pictures, saying in a statement that “the incident depicted in the LA Times’ photographs represents a serious error in judgment by several […]
Over the weekend, Taliban bombers and attackers launched their spring offensive with a series of coordinated attacks on Afghan government offices in Kabul and across three eastern provinces. Dozens of fighters assaulted NATO bases, embassies, the Afghan parliament and other government buildings with suicide attacks, rockets and gunfire. In all, the attack lasted more than […]
In Afghanistan this morning more than 1,000 protesters are gathering to protest the burning of Korans and Islamic holy books at the Bagram military base. This has triggered a second day of anti-American demonstrations. Crowds clashed with security forces furious about the way Islamic holy books at the base were destroyed. Ambassador Peter Galbraith is […]
A suicide bomber in Afghanistan on Tuesday killed Burhanuddin Rabbani, former president of Afghanistan and leader of the High Peace Council. Rabbani was in the process of negotiating an end to the war with the Taliban. The assassination is a devastating blow to the Afghan peace process, and the future of security in the region. Peter Galbraith, former […]