Posts with the tag Afghanistan

Senate to Vote on GI Bill of Rights Tomorrow

pdelatorre — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:45:18 EDT

The GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century (S.22) is expected to be on the Senate floor this week, and America's veterans need your help. S. 22 would make sure that veterans who served on active duty after September 11, 2001 have education benefits that measure up to the needs of today’s veterans.

Since the first GI Bill was signed in 1944 benefits have been scaled back while tuition has skyrocketed. Currently, it covers only 60-70% of the average costs of a four year education at a public college. The House of Representatives has already passed similar legislation, so please call the US Capitol at (202) 224-3121 and urge your Senators to support our veterans by passing the GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century (S.22).

Pakistan-Afghan Border: Next US Target?

Bobby Allyn — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:43:28 EDT

On Sunday's Meet the Press, CIA Director Michael Hayden said, "If there were another terrorist attack against Americans, it would most certainly originate from that region"[Afghan-Pakistan border], according to the AP.

Hayden said the area presents a "clear and present danger".

Interestingly, the phrase "clear and present danger" was used by John Ashcroft to describe terrorist threat after Sept. 11., leading up to the 2003 Iraq invasion

Also prior to the invasion, McCain said, "Saddam Hussein presents clear and present danger to the United States of America with his continued pursuit of to acquire weapons of mass destruction."

Hayden continued:

"Operationally, we are turning every effort to capture or kill that leadership from the top to the bottom."

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Is the Pakistan-Afgan border the next region Bush plans to continue the "struggle against global terrorism"?

Will there be a concerted attack, since Iran didn't work out, to distract Americans from Iraq?

Prince Harry and the Press Embargo

Matt Zeitlin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:06:58 EST

In the United States, there's a large and growing problem of elites not serving in the military and, at the same time, the military becoming an institution dominated by the lower middle classes and by families who have a tradition of service. Although America has lower social mobility and lots of hereditary wealth, in Britain, they have a real royal family. But Britain's royals have a long tradition of military service. Prince Andrew, Charles' brother, served as helicopters pilot in the Falklands. And Prince Harry, brother of Prince William and third-in-line to the throne, is serving in the British Army.

Even though he's a royal, he's just a normal soldier and for the past ten weeks, he's been serving in Afghanistan. But we didn't hear about until a few days ago, when the Drudge Report broke the story. It turned out the British government got all the major media outlets in a room and requested that they not report that Harry was in Afghanistan, so he wouldn't endanger his fellow soldiers. The embargo was broken and now Harry is probably going to the Persian Gulf. But was it a good idea for the media to essentially be the lapdogs of the press? I think so.

Afghan student journalist will not be executed

Kayla — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:13:17 EST

I've been watching this story very closely and am relieved by the latestet development.

A senior government official in Afghanistan said that student journalist Najib Manalai will not face exectution for distributing articles on women's rights. He was found guilty under sharia law for insulting Islam.

Yep, That's Called Imperialism

Matt Zeitlin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:45:11 EST

Gideon Rachman links to a Newsweek story claiming that UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalizhad "is seriously considering running for Karzai's seat himself when the next elections are held in 2009." Khalizhad is one of the few Bush administration figures whose reputation has been enhanced during his tenure, and he was generally agreed to be a breath of fresh air as ambassador to both Afghanistan and Iraq, but this is just ridiculous. Rachman put it best: " gives a whole new spin to the idea of American imperialism." It's true that figures like Khalizhad and Petraeus have much more power than a normal General or Ambassador, but for Zal to actually run for president just seems deluded. I think we already have enough influence over Afghanistan's government, with the military presence there and everything...

What Charlie Wilson's War Says About America

Ali M Latifi — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:15:55 EST

Though it may not be much of a cinematic accomplishment (considering it was directed by Mike Nichols and features Philip Seymour Hoffman in a prominent role) Charlie Wilson's War makes a much needed statement about American foreign policy.

Why A Thousand Splendid Suns is good for Afghans

Ali M Latifi — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:59:56 EST

Since the Afghan diaspora first discovered it, Khalid Hosseini's landmark debut novel The Kite Runner has managed to be one of the most loved and loathed pieces of cultural art ever. Everyone had their opinions on the novel and its companion film -- was it good for Afghans or just "lifting your skirt over your head" as Afghans would say?

Now, the same questions are being asked of Hosseini's second novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. Having recently read it in its entirety in a single 24-hour period I can say that A Thousand Splendid Suns is indeed good for Afghans, and more importantly for Americans wanting to understand historical and political situation that created the current state of affairs in Afghanistan.

Shortly after the events of 9/11 Afghanistan, the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and Osama Bin Laden dominated the news, as if they all naturally went together and the Afghans had control or even a true engagement with the post cold war politics of Afghanistan.

What Would You Ask the Afghan Ambassador to the U.S.?

Thomas Coen — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:28:56 EDT

That question isn't a hypothetical anymore. I'll be interviewing the Afghan Ambassador to the U.S. next week and I want to ask him the questions that matter to you.

From the war on terror to the war on drugs, Afghanistan illustrates a myriad of U.S. foreign policy successes and failures. It remains a strategic ally as the stability of the country becomes a growing concern with the increase of militant Islam in Pakistan and the consequences of the war in Iraq.

Please post your questions in the comment section below or e-mail them to me at publications@campusprogress.org.

Lesbian National Guard Soldier Shot Dead

Tanya Paperny — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:41:42 EDT

Ciara Durkin, a lesbian National Guard soldier stationed in Afghanistan, was killed on Friday in a "non-combat-related incident."

The Bush Administration: Making Us Less Safe

Thomas Coen — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:22:11 EDT

An in-depth front page article in the New York Times yesterday lays out clearly how the war in Iraq has compromised success in the war in Afghanistan and how the Bush Administration's policy has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

The article lays out that once President Bush shifted focus from Afghanistan, a country harboring Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization that actually attacked us on 9/11, to Iraq, a country that had nothing at all to do with 9/11 and was kept in check by UN sanctions, the situation in Afghanistan began to deteriorate.

One of Those Rare Cases....

Dana Goldstein — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:41:37 EDT

Of flag burning, and this story is particularly strange. Three Yale students, including one Pakistani-American who acted as a translator for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, were arrested after burning a flag atop a New Haven house in the middle of the night. All three students were foreign-born. Hey guys, did you think this prank would win any sympathy for immigrants? What were you thinking?