On Building Armies and Watching Them Fail: Why Washington Can’t Prop Up Foreign Militaries

By Andrew Bacevich, TomDispatch Oct 14, 2015 Prudence might counsel Washington to assume that when it comes to organizing, training, equipping and motivating foreign armies, the United States is essentially clueless. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Hagel in Your Face

David Fitzsimmons, Cagle Cartoons, The Arizona Star Jan 9, 2013 Dig deeper

Pentagon Calls 2014 Afghanistan Withdrawal ‘Aspirational’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 19, 2010 Hamid Karzai and NATO would like Afghan forces to take over the country's security by 2014, a goal Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell calls "aspirational," as in "There may very well be the need for forces to remain in-country  " (more jibber-jabber after the jump). Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

It’s No Secret: Afghanistan Is a Quagmire

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Jul 26, 2010 The tens of thousands of classified military documents posted on the Internet Sunday confirm what critics of the war in Afghanistan already knew or suspected: We are wading deeper into a long-running, morally ambiguous conflict that has virtually no chance of ending well.We don't need WikiLeaks to know we are wading deeper into a long-running, morally ambiguous conflict that has virtually no chance of ending well. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

As Iraq Threatens to Come Apart, U.S. Problems in Afghanistan Mount

William Pfaff / Truthdig Apr 7, 2010 Washington once again finds itself dangerously entangled with the hostile policies, nationalistic interests and supporters, and personal ambitions of a foreign figure whom it counted on to serve American interests. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

All You Can Eat

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Dec 29, 2009 Dig deeper

American Classic

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Dec 28, 2009 Dig deeper

Obama’s Coalition of the Unwilling

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Mar 4, 2009 President Barack Obama met recently with the prime ministers of Canada and Britain, two NATO allies looking for a way out of Afghanistan even as the U.S. is talking escalation. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Cheney Claims ‘High Probability’ of WMD Attack

Staff / Truthdig Feb 5, 2009 The former vice president tells Politico that there is a "high probability" of a terrorist attack involving "a nuclear weapon or a biological agent of some kind" and that the current administration is "more concerned about reading the rights to an Al Qaeda terrorist than they are with protecting the United States ". Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

James Blight on McGeorge Bundy

BLANK Dec 19, 2008 One of JFK's "best and brightest" died wondering how the Vietnam War could have gone so wrong. Now, in an important new book, we have some answers. Dig deeper ( 19 Min. Read )

Virtual JFK: The 44th President’s Foreign Policy Challenge

James G. Blight and janet M. Lang Oct 30, 2008 The leading issue in the current face-off between Barack Obama and John McCain is the economy. Once elected and inaugurated, however, a U.S. president’s politics become global literally overnight. Dig deeper ( 24 Min. Read )

Obama’s Disaster in the Making

William Pfaff / Truthdig Jul 17, 2008 Barack Obama is right to want to get out of Iraq, but his eagerness to do battle in the tribal hinterlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan will only lead to a quagmire of his own. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )