AFGHANISTAN: More Questions Than Answers

Last week President Obama made what is probably the most crucial announcement in the past five years of war.

AFGHANISTAN: Abdullah Plays For Time

Soon after President Hamid Karzai acceded to a runoff two weeks ago, challenger Abdullah Abdullah put forward an avalanche of requests so complex, that his objective remains unclear.

AFGHANISTAN: NATO Supporting Insurgents? Not Exactly

The U.S. and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) have spent billions of dollars, sacrificed hundreds of lives and worked for years to fight insurgents and foster democracy in Afghanistan.

AFGHANISTAN: No Refuge For Victims of Violence

The rate of civilian casualties in Afghanistan during 2009 has increased exponentially if compared with previous years.

/CORRECTED REPEAT*/POLITICS: Pakistan’s Offensive, Afghanistan’s Risk

For generations, Pakistan's southern Waziristan region has been a launching pad for insurgent military operations in Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN: Govt Denies Legal Inequality

The head of the Afghan Supreme Court, Mohammad Zaman Sangri, denies that a legal double standard exists in Afghanistan, saying that all Afghans receive equal treatment before the law.

AFGHANISTAN: Rape – The Most Vulnerable Victims of Corruption

Being powerful in Afghanistan does not only mean that you can break the laws of government. It also means that you can abuse your fellow citizens in the most awful ways and never be punished.

AFGHANISTAN: Two Justice Systems for Poor and Rich

Three weeks ago, Afghan President Hamid Karzai pardoned five international narcotics traffickers after the Supreme Court found the men guilty and handed down a sentence of 12 to 15 years in prison.

POLITICS: What Happened to the Afghan Elections?

After a series of well-known Afghan politicians announced their candidacy, the up-coming presidential election was widely believed to be a turning-point in the country’s history. But most of the big names declined to register, leaving what critics allege is a weak opposition to President Hamid Karzai.

DEVELOPMENT-AFGHANISTAN: ‘We Need a Fundamental Change Here’

The U.S. administration has pledged to increase aid and reconstruction as a central part of President Barack Obama’s new strategy. But critics charge that the new policy contains very little specifics on how to bring development and jobs to the country.

AFGHANISTAN-US: More Troops, Humvees, and Dollars

Life in the quaint, muddied town of Maydan Shahr appears to be going on as it has for years. Wrinkled, wizened men manage under-stocked shops in the sleepy central bazaar, while jobless youths idle nearby.