In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

07/24/08: Strategy and Leadership Needed —Lt. Gen. (Ret.) David W. Barno, U.S. Army; commander, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan (2003-2005); director, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, Natl Defense University. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
07/22/08: What the U.S. Should Do —Andrew Exum, former Army captain, led U.S. Army Rangers in Iraq and Afghanistan; Ph.D student, War Studies, King's College London. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.
07/08/08: Planning the Transition —Ghaith al-Omari, director of advocacy, American Task Force on Palestine; former foreign policy adviser to Palestinian President Abbas. Original Commentary for Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Neglecting Afghanistan

“[W]e're fighting two wars at once, three wars at once. We're fighting the global war on terror, we're fighting a war in Iraq, and we're fighting a war in Afghanistan. There are multiple demands on our forces. That's the reality of life at this point. The focus of our efforts clearly has been in Iraq, the battleground which Osama bin Laden identified as the central front in their war against us, the place in which they sought to set up a foothold for their caliphate that would reach into Europe.”
—Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell, DoD News Briefing, July 23, 2008

“The most dangerous area of the world … representing the most significant U.S. national security threat … is not Iraq but the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. … [W]e still lack relevant, long-term strategies to achieve sustainable security and stability in both Iraq and Afghanistan.”
—Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), speech, Brookings Institution, June 26, 2008

Middle East Analysis

Afghanistan: Not Lost, But Needs More Attention —Mohammad M. Stanekzai, Jennings Randolph Senior Afghanistan Fellow, United States Institute of Peace
Back to the Future —Karl F. Inderfurth, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for South Asia, and Wendy Chamberlin, former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan; president, Middle East Institute (Khaleej Times)
Afghanistan: Government Formation and Performance —Kenneth Katzman, specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division, CRS Report for Congress

Conference Watch: Still Much to be Done

August 3, 2007

Date: October or November

Location: To be determined.

Invitees:
• Invitations have not yet been issued.
• Saudi Arabia will consider attending if talks are substantive.
• Syria also announced its willingness to attend, despite almost non-existent relations with Washington.

Agenda:
• Specific agenda items have not been determined
• Main purpose is to discuss and possibly move forward the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
• Arab states have urged discussion on final status issues, while Israel wants to use the forum to move forward, not finalize, the peace process.

Advance Preparation:
• Trips Completed: 1 four-day visit, July 30-August 2, with Defense Secretary Gates. Gates did not accompany Rice to the Israel portion of the visit.
• Earlier trip to the Middle East and Africa cancelled so Secretary Rice could focus on the domestic debate on the war in Iraq.
• Trips planned: Rice plans to return to the region before the conference
• The Quartet is expected to meet once prior to the conference.

Guide to Preparing International Conferences