Afghanistan (officially the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (as per ISO); Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Persian (Dari): جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان), is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Asia. Generally considered a part of Central Asia, it is sometimes ascribed to a regional bloc in either the Middle East or South Asia, as it has cultural, ethno-linguistic, and geographic links with most of its neighbors. It is bordered by Iran in the west, PakistanPart of the region bordering Pakistan falls in the disputed Kashmir region which is claimed by India in the south and east, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and the People's Republic of China to the east.

Afghanistan is a mosaic of ethnic groups and cultures, and a crossroads between east and west. An ancient land that has often been plundered, and also a focal point of trade, the region of present-day Afghanistan has seen several invading forces come and go, including Aryan nomads, the Mede and Persian Empires, Greeks and Macedonians, Arabs, Turks, and Mongols. Modern Afghanistan arose as an independent state in 1919, when foreign intervention ceased following the Anglo-Afghan wars. The country's recent history has seen it ravaged by the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, the rise and fall of the Taliban, and the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

As a result of these traumatic events, Afghanistan is in a rebuilding phase, as it attempts to reconcile the devastation that constant warfare has created, with a new government that seeks to unify and rebuild Afghanistan. Afghanistan faces numerous problems, ranging from its devastated economy, the return of millions of refugees, continued warlordism, drug trafficking, and a new government that is struggling with the political forces trying to define the sort of country Afghanistan will become in the 21st century.

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Afghan response 'underwhelming'
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:53:12 -0000
Australia's defence minister has criticised some Nato member states for their "underwhelming" response to Afghanistan's ongoing problems. In a televised speech, Joel Fitzgibbon expressed frustration at the refusal to commit extra troops by some nations - although he did not name the countries. Mr Fitzgibbon also indicated Australia might be willing to send advisers to Pakistan to help fight the Taleban. Australia currently has about 1,000 troops in Afghanistan. Mr Fitzgibbon said that if certain Nato countries were unwilling to contribute extra troops, they should at least contribute money to fund the expansion of the Afghan National Army. And he suggested bolstering the fight against al-Qaeda, the Taleban and other militant groups such as Jemaah Islamiah by offering Pakistan support.
Corruption helps Afghan drug lords evade law: UN
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:52:23 -0000
Corruption in Afghanistan is hobbling efforts to combat the booming opium trade with powerful drug lords evading justice by simply making a telephone call to friends in high places, a UN official said yesterday. Opium production in Afghanistan has risen every year since US and Afghan forces ended Taliban rule in 2001, despite millions of dollars spent on trying to eradicate crops, encourage farmers to plant something else and arrest traffickers. “We talk about those who are not behind bars, but who should be," the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan, Christina Oguz, told a news conference. “They are the people who have committed crimes of corruption or who are the brains and profiteers behind trafficking networks. “They are people with power and people with powerful friends who can use their mobile phones to release a suspect from detention without a fair trial," she said.
End the Occupation of Iraq - and Afghanistan
Marjorie Cohn Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:51:23 -0000
So far, Bush's plan to maintain a permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq has been stymied by resistance from the Iraqi government. Barack Obama's timetable for withdrawal of American troops has evidently been joined by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Bush has mentioned a "time horizon," and John McCain has waffled. Yet Obama favors leaving between 35,000 and 80,000 U.S. occupation troops there indefinitely to train Iraqi security forces and carry out "counter-insurgency operations." That would not end the occupation. We must call for bringing home - not redeploying - all U.S. troops and mercenaries, closing all U.S. military bases, and relinquishing all efforts to control Iraqi oil. In light of stepped up violence in Afghanistan, and for political reasons - following Obama's lead - Bush will be moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. Although the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan was as illegal as the invasion of Iraq, many Americans see it as a justifiable response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the casualties in that war have been lower than those in Iraq - so far. Practically no one in the United States is currently questioning the legality or propriety of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan. The cover of Time magazine calls it "The Right War."
Afghan situation worse in 2008: German FM
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:37:40 -0000
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said yesterday that violence in Afghanistan had worsened over the past year, and promised more support from Germany for the building and reform of the Afghan police and military. Aggression in the south of the country by Taliban insurgents has increased, Steinmeier said in a logistics school for the Afghan army, built by Germany in Kabul. The training of soldiers and police in Afghanistan must therefore be strengthened, he said. “The international community and Germany are standing steadfastly on your side," said the German minister, who met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai the previous night.
Karzai 'impeding Afghan drug war'
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:37:10 -0000
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is obstructing efforts to tackle his country's drugs problem, a former US counter-narcotics official has said. Thomas Schweich said Mr Karzai had protected drug lords for political reasons and tolerated "a certain level of corruption" rather than lose power. He said the former attorney general had told him the president had prevented the prosecution of some 20 officials. Mr Karzai has denied the claims, saying his government had cut drug production.
The Peace Movement Needs a Strategy For Afghanistan
Medea Benjamin Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:35:43 -0000
The peace movement was moving full-throttle during the primary season to confront the presidential candidates on the war, and can take credit for helping to shift the momentum from Hillary Clinton -- who voted for the invasion of Iraq -- to Barack Obama -- who opposed the invasion. And we have certainly contributed to the momentous shift on the need for a timeline for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. We have also moved into high gear to prevent a war with Iran, and so far, have been holding our ground on that front. But in Afghanistan the peace movement has been missing in action. This has come back to hit us in the face during Barack Obama's Middle East trip, where he called for sending 10,000 more troops to Afghanistan. John McCain, not to be one-upped in putting our young men and women in harm's way, is also calling for an escalation of the Afghan war.

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