MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'afghanistan'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:53:40 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181762&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2wBwW5zdM10%2F By Malou InnocentOver the past decade, American taxpayers have lost as much as $60 billion dollars to massive fraud and waste in the nation building campaigns of Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report released today by the Commission on Wartime Contracting. The independent panel confirms much of what we already know about rent-seeking in wartime; nevertheless, the panel details specific reconstruction projects and programs that display a stunning array of mismanagement: A modest $60 million agricultural development program in northern Afghanistan expanded to the south and east to the tune of $360 million. The cash-for-work program was intended to distribute vouchers for wheat-seed and fertilizer in drought-stricken areas. Today, the program spends $1 million a day. The panel reports,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181762 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:54:37 +0100 5181762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077655&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FrcxAW_y4kgo%2F By Malou InnocentThe same week U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta declared “we’re within reach of strategically defeating al-Qaeda”—an assessment that many believe reflects the efforts of seven years of CIA drone strikes—former director of national intelligence Dennis Blair called America’s “unilateral” drone war in countries like Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia a mistake. “Because we’re alienating the countries concerned,” Blair said, “because we’re treating countries just as places where we go attack groups that threaten us, we are threatening the prospects of long-term reform.” Given that our Nobel Peace Prize–winning president has drastically escalated the use of these flying, robotic hitmen, there seems to be some confusion at the White House. Speaking t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077655 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:05:04 +0100 5077655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077659&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqQqjfL3BAxo%2F By Doug Bandow Many advocates of promiscuous military intervention angrily reject the claim that America is an “empire.” Granted, the U.S. doesn’t directly rule its imperial dependents. But Washington policymakers do insist on maintaining a military presence wherever and whenever possible, irrespective of America’s defense needs. The Obama administration’s attempt to pressure the Iraqi government into “inviting” the U.S. to remain is almost comical. Rather than requiring Baghdad to demonstrate why a continuing American presence is necessary, U.S. officials have been begging to stay. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said: “I hope they figure out a way to ask.” His successor, Leon Panetta, recently blurted out: “dammit, make a decision.” However, it is Washington t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077659 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:16:07 +0100 5077659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008143&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0Oghdzknxb8%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanThe mythical al Qaeda is a hierarchical organization. After losing its haven in Afghanistan, it cleverly decentralized authority and shifted its headquarters to Pakistan. But central management still dispatches operatives globally and manages affiliates according to a strategy. The real al Qaeda is a fragmented and unmanageable movement. In the 1990s, it achieved limited success in getting other jihadists to join in attacking the West. It was not managerial innovation but the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and other governments’ pressures that destroyed  the limited hierarchy al Qaeda Central had achieved. Its scattered remnant in Pakistan controls little locally and less abroad. The leaders have cachet but lack the material incentives that real managers distribute ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008143 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:53:48 +0100 5008143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992661&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVYLgI9h4gXQ%2F By David BoazA strong majority of voters in Virginia, a state that is home to the Pentagon, Naval Station Norfolk (the world’s largest naval base), U.S. Joint Forces Command, and the fourth highest percentage of veterans of any state, want American troops out of Afghanistan and Libya. According to a Quinnipiac University poll, 55 percent of Virginians polled think the United States “should not be involved in Afghanistan now,” and 60 percent oppose involvement in Libya. According to the poll, fewer Virginians support those wars than any of the other people or topics the poll asked about. Only 38 percent now support the Afghan war, and 31 percent support the Libyan military involvement, compared to 42 percent who don’t want to repeal the 2010 health care law, 43 percent ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992661 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:53:47 +0100 4992661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975837&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXx6o1w2QaFM%2F Discussion This Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975837 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:25:14 +0100 4975837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975846&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FI7c-rTbplTw%2F By Chris EdwardsIn the Washington Post Friday, Ezra Klein partly confirmed what I fear the Republican strategy is for the debt-limit bill—get to the $2 trillion in cuts promised through accounting gimmicks. As I have also noted, Klein says that there is about $1 trillion in budget “savings” ($1.4 trillion with interest) to be found simply in the inflated Congressional Budget Office baseline for Iraq and Afghanistan. Klein says, “I’m told that a big chunk of these savings were included in the debt-ceiling deal” that Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Sen. Jon Kyl (D-AZ) are negotiating with the Democrats. Republican leaders have promised that spending cuts in the debt-limit deal must be at least as large as the debt-limit increase, which means $2 trillion if the debt-limit is extended ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975846 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:52:43 +0100 4975846 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960042&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdIgkSA8z8qo%2F By Malou InnocentIn the last three years, the United States has tripled the number of troops in Afghanistan, increased the number of drone strikes in neighboring Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden—the highest of high-value targets. President Obama has more than enough victories under his belt to stick to his timeline and substantially draw down the number of troops from Afghanistan. Still, the pace of America’s withdrawal and the size of its residual combat presence, even after his decision Wednesday, will depend on two things: negotiations with the Taliban and political pressure to stay the course. These two factors will feature prominently in the months ahead, as the administration reconfigures the strategy and objectives for winding down the 10-year campaign. First, although many ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960042 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:33:35 +0100 4960042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960046&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4VuHWlf7gf8%2F By David BoazToday’s Politico Arena question is about what President Obama should say in his speech tonight about Afghanistan. My response: If the president indeed withdraws 30,000 troops by the end of 2012, then we will still have about 70,000 troops in Afghanistan more than 11 years after the war began, and twice as many as President Bush deployed. If we can’t do whatever we want to do in 10 years, when will we achieve our purposes? U.S. troops have overthrown the Taliban and dispatched Osama bin Laden, and it’s time to end this war. Tonight, on June 22, the president should pick up some language from another June speech and tell the nation, “Generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we ended a war.&#822... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960046 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:54:03 +0100 4960046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952792&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDx3xqqVqUR8%2F By Christopher PrebleTomorrow night, President Obama will announce how many troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan over the next 18 months. CNN.com reported this morning that the president is expected to announce a plan that would bring all 30,000 “surge” troops home by the end of 2012. This would give them two more fighting seasons in Afghanistan. The Los Angeles Times reported administration and Pentagon officials told them 10,000 troops will leave Afghanistan by the end of this year. In an effort to quell the leaks, White House officials told Fox News that Obama has not made a final decision and that the reporting is “all over the map.” But we should not allow this speculation over troop numbers to distract us from the bigger picture. Even if by the end of 2012 the size of th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952792 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:11:20 +0100 4952792 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911450&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmxymmNehZsA%2F By Malou InnocentAs confirmed by yet another U.S. government report, this one prepared by the Democratic majority staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, America’s nation-building mission in Afghanistan has had little success in creating an economically viable and politically independent Afghan state. The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung writes: The report also warns that the Afghan economy could slide into a depression with the inevitable decline of the foreign military and development spending that now provides 97 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. [Emphasis added] U.S. leaders could look at that statistic and justify prolonging the mission. In fact, the report suggests, “Afghanistan could suffer a severe economic depression when foreign troops leave in 2014... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911450 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:10:41 +0100 4911450 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911459&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FH--GMMz4C1o%2F By Malou InnocentThe United States will begin drawing down troops in Afghanistan this July. The White House is desperately trying to seize the narrative of the withdrawal claiming that the cuts will be “real” even as Defense Secretary Robert Gates is arguing for the opposite. This week, the New York Times revealed that some in President Obama’s national security team are seeking steeper reductions, particularly after the death of Osama bin Laden and the increasing costs of the war. Steeper reductions are certainly warranted. A limited counterrorism mission must be on the table. The president will try to claim credit for keeping his pledge to reduce the U.S. troop presence, but when we consider that there are three times as many troops in Afghanistan today compared to when Obama too... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911459 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:50:49 +0100 4911459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893390&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVbD6rCsA4DM%2F By Christopher PrebleBetter late than never. The House of Representatives today debated two different resolutions purportedly aimed at forcing the Obama administration to comply with its statutory and constitutional obligations to secure formal authorization for the ongoing military campaign in Libya. I say “purportedly” because it seems quite clear that the real intent of House Speaker John Boehner’s resolution was to lure away a sufficient number of Republicans who otherwise would have been inclined to vote for Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s (D-OH) measure. Whereas the Kucinich resolution would have compelled the Obama administration to withdraw from all military operations in Libya within the next 15 days, Boehner’s resolution bars the administration from deploying... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893390 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:55:56 +0100 4893390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852841&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnU1nadyGicA%2F By Christopher PrebleWhen President Obama meets with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London, they should focus on the two wars that involve both the U.S. and British militaries (Afghanistan and Libya). But these discussions will take place in the context of diminishing British military capability. At a time when the United States should be shedding some of the burdens of policing the globe, and encouraging other countries to step forward to defend themselves, the British are moving in the opposite direction. They are cutting their military, and tacitly becoming more dependent upon U.S. power. The end result will be a United Kingdom that is less able to assist us in the future. The United States today spends far more on its military than does the United Kingdom, and the gap is like... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852841 Mon, 23 May 2011 15:39:42 +0100 4852841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841445&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQ7Si-UIh_C4%2F By George Scoville Why are we still in Iraq? Despite the world’s greatest nation-building efforts, things in Bosnia are still getting worse. Vouchers offer parents more choice in education than they currently have, but education tax credits are still better at helping the poor. Although federal courts have already held parts of current National Security Letter statutes unconstitutional, we still have a way to go in restoring civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. While Osama bin Laden has been dispatched, we still have many issues to navigate in our national security strategy. Please join us on Facebook at 12:30 p.m. Eastern today, where Cato legal policy analyst David Rittgers, who served three tours in Afghanistan with Army Special Forces, receiving an Army Commendation Medal with &... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841445 Tue, 17 May 2011 14:32:32 +0100 4841445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820817&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FiqW6qF3mtAc%2F By Malou InnocentThe drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan will start this July, with a complete withdrawal of “combat troops” by the end of 2014. The newly emerging conventional wisdom, however, is that Afghan security forces are not ready to take over responsibility, since serious efforts to strengthen those forces only really began in 2009. But rather than validate an open-ended mission to build national institutions in Afghanistan, looming problems in the hand-off from foreign to indigenous forces epitomize the flawed process of state building. The 285,000-strong Afghan army and police, under the authority of the Ministries of Defense and Interior, respectively, are expected to increase to a total of 305,000 by this October. However, numbers tell only part of the story. In a ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820817 Fri, 13 May 2011 15:22:07 +0100 4820817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789207&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fcst2r3NddJM%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanThe tendency to treat Osama bin Laden’s killing as national holiday akin to V-E day is both understandable and unfortunate. Everyone with a sense of justice appreciates the death of mass murderers, particularly the terrorist sort. But celebrating as if we killed Hitler or won a war plays into al Qaeda’s self-serving myth. Paul Pillar put it well: An unfortunate irony of the huge reaction to the killing of Bin Ladin is that it continues to give him in death what he worked so hard to achieve in life: the status of arch foe of the most powerful nation on earth. It is a status that conforms with Bin Ladin’s narrative of himself as the leader of the Muslim world, protecting that world against the predations of the Judeo-Christian West, the leader of which is the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789207 Thu, 05 May 2011 18:36:02 +0100 4789207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789208&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWBu8A6aiGns%2F By Justin LoganAP Photo/David Guttenfelder There are not going to be many better opportunities to change course in Afghanistan than the one presented by the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. It may be worth highlighting how ripe an opportunity this is: The politics on the Hill are changing. It probably comes as no surprise that Reps. Walter Jones (R-NC) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) would like to end the Afghanistan war, but their “Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act” has brought on co-sponsors like Tea Party stalwarts Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Justin Amash (R-MI). This means that in the days and weeks to come, there will be Republicans on television and radio making the case for withdrawal. That could have a profound effect on where the debate goes from here. On t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789208 Thu, 05 May 2011 18:12:45 +0100 4789208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789221&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDFJHbY9hE34%2F By Malou InnocentOsama Bin Laden’s death marks a significant achievement in the fight against al Qaeda. It also highlights the fact that our ostensible objective for continuing the war in Afghanistan has been achieved. Although some lawmakers have been quick to claim that bin Laden’s demise proves that our nation-building mission is showing signs of success, others recognize that this momentous achievement justifies scaling down our presence in Afghanistan. Indeed, rather than expansive counterinsurgency campaigns, targeted counterterrorism measures would suffice. It is encouraging that Republican members of Congress are questioning the mission. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed his concern yesterday: [Senator Lugar] s... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789221 Wed, 04 May 2011 17:48:52 +0100 4789221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789223&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fj0oEcTlXCrY%2F By George Scoville Osama bin Laden’s death gives us a chance to end what might have become an era of permanent emergency and perpetual war. The Cold War ended–what are we doing in Korea? Two cheers for President Obama for ending eight (well, three) tax breaks to oil companies. Does Osama bin Laden’s death mean an end to U.S.-Pakistan relations? Please join us next Tuesday, May 10 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a Cato Book Forum on America’s Allies and War: Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, by University of Mary Washington political scientist Jason W. Davidson. Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and Georgetown University international relations professor Charles Kupchan will join Professor Davidson in a discussion of the book and its themes, particularly U.S. relation... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789223 Wed, 04 May 2011 14:52:52 +0100 4789223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780295&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Frgl-wP5da0Q%2F By George Scoville “Given America’s large-scale, long-term nation-building mission in Afghanistan, another chapter remains unfinished.” “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to refer to a government whose intelligence service assists military efforts by al Qaeda and the Taliban against U.S. troops in Afghanistan as an ‘ally.’” “Terrorists are not superhuman.” “Physicians must either make up for this shortfall by shifting costs to those patients with insurance — meaning those of us with insurance pay more — or treat patients at a loss.” Is America in a libertarian moment? Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780295 Tue, 03 May 2011 14:51:15 +0100 4780295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775373&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FIn343nt1Z4k%2F By George Scoville Habeas corpus applies to anyone, citizen or not, in custody under American law, no matter what President Bush and President Obama decree. House Republicans’ cuts to the Department of Education, which will spend over $70 billion next year, didn’t even amount to $1 billion. “Regardless of whether Pakistan gets its way, its impudence in pushing Afghanistan to abandon America exposes the real balance of power in the region.” “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to refer to a government whose intelligence service assists military efforts by al Qaeda and the Taliban against U.S. troops in Afghanistan as an ‘ally.’” Here are five ways to cut military spending today without changing our strategic focus: Monday Links is a post f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775373 Mon, 02 May 2011 14:29:08 +0100 4775373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758739&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUzDsC43VEhQ%2F By Christopher PrebleThe report that Leon Panetta will be appointed Secretary of Defense, and Gen. David Petraeus will become the new CIA director, does not come as a huge surprise. But I worry that President Obama’s decision to fill these positions from within his administration signals an unwillingness to rethink U.S. foreign policy. Such a reevaluation is desperately needed. Leon Panetta brings some experience in national security affairs to DoD, including his stints at CIA and on Capitol Hill, and as a member of the Iraq Study Group. His more relevant experience, however, may be as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration. Bob Gates effectively shielded the Pentagon from spending cuts, but that merely postponed the reckoning that Panetta ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758739 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:04:46 +0100 4758739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4724180&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F-upChOONzUI%2F Questions over Greg Mortenson’s stories – 60 Minutes – CBS News. Filed under: books Tagged: 60 Minutes, Afghanistan, CBS News, Central Asia Institute, Greg Mortenson, Korphe, Pakistan, Three Cups of Tea (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4724180 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:30:31 +0100 4724180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684274&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCEIDqKmv1ug%2F By George Scoville It's time for a little less hubris. It's time for a government shutdown. It's time to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. It's time for an adult conversation on the federal budget, and Chairman Ryan's plan is a good start. It's time to rethink our strategy in Afghanistan: Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684274 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:46:04 +0100 4684274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676759&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPRR-dcLfDqA%2F By Malou InnocentGeneral David Petraeus, the head of American forces in Afghanistan, has emphasized the importance of winning the "hearts and minds" of Afghans by treating them and their culture with respect. Pentagon officials may want to reexamine that assumption, but not for the reason you might think. Evangelical pastor Terry Jones, author of the book Islam Is of the Devil and head of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, two weeks ago carried through on his promise to "stand up" to Islam and burn a Quran. In response, crowds demonstrated in cities across Afghanistan, with a mob in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif storming a United Nations compound, killing eight non-American aid workers and beheading two of them. The message from the protests is cle... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676759 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:52:36 +0100 4676759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676762&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fuv0ru12imco%2F By George Scoville "One of the first rules of negotiating is never to threaten to do something unless you are prepared to do it." Policymakers and pundits assume the U.S. is so dominant that we're prepared to fight multiple fronts at once, and that it won't affect our security. Candidates for office should prepare to raise money, not rely on taxpayer subsidies. More market liberalization could help prepare Japan for any other natural disaster. Are Tea Party-backed Republicans prepared to go the distance on spending cuts? Monday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676762 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:42:02 +0100 4676762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592364&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlnxmyDFTQpw%2F By George Scoville Still think the War on Drugs is a good idea, or that it's working? Decreases in cocaine production in Colombia have been almost fully offset by increases in Peru and Bolivia. Why is nobody talking about the right of Wisconsin taxpayers to not deal with unions? "If you're the rare bird who favors limited government at home and abroad, you can hardly expect good news from a poll of this generation's Tracy Flicks." (Maybe not.) NPR and PBS are using taxpayer dollars to lobby for... more taxpayer dollars. But that's hardly a new game in Washington. Afghanistan: nation-building on crack. Saying no to a no-fly zone over Libya should be a no-brainer: Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592364 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:47:16 +0100 4592364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565882&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FE-5AgfWOb0M%2F By Christopher PrebleOn Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, speaking in Kabul, stated that the United States “will be well-positioned to begin drawing down some U.S. and coalition forces this July.”  But as Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post reports, the planned reductions likely wouldn’t lead to a major change in the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Indeed, even as Gates is stating that the United States will adhere to its date to begin withdrawing troops, negotiations are in the works that could establish a long-term security presence for the U.S. beyond 2014 and might include permanent military bases. Secretary Gates and General Petraeus both claim progress in Afghanistan.  But their concepts of progress are murky and exist within a strategy that has never had clearly defined obj... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565882 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:18:18 +0100 4565882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560243&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0sBRHIxHDoU%2F By Malou InnocentRasmussen reports that 52% of Americans want U.S. troops home from Afghanistan within a year, up from 43% last fall. Of course, polls are ephemeral snapshots of public opinion that can fluctuate with the prevailing political winds; nonetheless, it does appear that more Americans are slowly coming to realize the "aimless absurdity" of our nation-building project in Central Asia.  Earlier today (HT: HuffPo's Amanda Terkel), former Republican senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe": "I don't think we can afford Afghanistan much longer.” He continued: "The simple fact is that it's costing us. Good people are losing their lives there, and we're losing huge amount of resources there ... So I think we should have a timeframe for getting out of Afghan... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560243 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:25:28 +0100 4560243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4548542&cid=t_106283_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F03%2F04%2Fafghanistan-6%2F Helmand, Afghanistan – January 2011 Bibi, an 8 year old girl, lies on a stretcher waiting to be admitted to a ward, after being transferred from a military hospital, following treatment for shrapnel wounds, for post-operative care at Boost Hospital Lashkar Gah, Helmand, where MSF works alongside hospital staff to provide free medical care. After nearly ten years of war in Helmand, thousands of people are unable to access healthcare, having to travel long distances along dangerous roads to reach Boost, the only functioning referral hospital in the province. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4548542 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:20:50 +0100 4548542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522086&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzN9pJ3TR6_Q%2F By Tad DeHavenOver at Downsizing Government, we focused on the following issues this week: On getting out of Afghanistan. $61 billion in spending cuts amounts to less than a third of what taxpayers will pay in interest on the debt alone this year. The political stakes in the latest debt ceiling game are high. The consequences of failing to use it as an opportunity to start reining in the federal government are even higher. The IRS is handing out "free" candy. New data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows that reported air traffic control errors have increased by 81 percent since 2007. This Week in Government Failure is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4522086 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:26:28 +0100 4522086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517155&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNV_eKlWr4R0%2F By Malou InnocentRolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings—yes, that Michael Hastings—has written another investigative article on U.S. operations in Afghanistan, centered again on a general in the theatre.  The revelations are perhaps more shocking than those that resulted in General Stanley McChrystal’s dismissal last summer. His newest bombshell alleges that the U.S Army illegally engaged in “psychological operations” with the aim of manipulating various high-level U.S. government officials into believing that the war was progressing in order to gain their continued support.  The list of targets includes members of Congress, diplomats, think tank analysts, and even Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Join Chiefs of Staff.  Over at The Skeptics, I attempt to put this in context:... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517155 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:30:32 +0100 4517155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495184&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmwW-SMb53O8%2F By Christopher PrebleToday's Washington Post features an op-ed by Reps. James McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC) on the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. This particular bipartisan pairing isn't particularly noteworthy; the two men have collaborated before. But the arguments presented in the piece — one set designed to appeal to conservatives, the other aimed at liberals — have the potential to join together a much broader left-right coalition in opposition to an open-ended mission that, according to McGovern and Jones, has already cost U.S. taxpayers $450 billion dollars, and whose costs are accumulating at a rate of nearly $10 billion every month. My colleagues and I have argued on numerous occasions for why the Obama administration should refine our objectives in Afghanistan. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495184 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:27:37 +0100 4495184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477699&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTiVWVOvmBW8%2F By Christopher PreblePresident Obama might want it to appear as though he is reining in defense spending with his budget submission for FY 2012, but his approach to the Pentagon’s budget reveals the opposite. Perhaps the president hopes that his adoption of the faux cuts that Secretary Gates put on the table last month will be seen as responsible. Perhaps he is taking a prudent first step and signaling to the military, and its suppliers and contractors, that the days of double-digit increases are over. That may be; but far deeper cuts are warranted. . If the president had truly wanted to send a signal, he would have followed the advice of his own deficit reduction commission and endorsed far deeper cuts in military spending. The Department of Defense will spend $78 billion less over the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477699 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:48:26 +0100 4477699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464481&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FebYl7scavds%2F By Christopher PrebleI'm speaking on a panel at CPAC tomorrow discussing Afghanistan ("How to Think about Afghanistan," Marriott Ballroom, 2:30 to 3:15 pm), and I'm inclined to include a few new data points, and one fresh anecdote, in my brief remarks. The first piece of information has to do with money. Our deepening military presence in Afghanistan will cost American taxpayers in excess of $100 billion in FY 2011. Some estimates put the figure closer to $120 billion. This in a country with an official GDP of about $16.6 billion (and not more than $30 billion using purchasing power parity). The second thing to consider is the current mission in Afghanistan. President Obama claimed in his December 2010 policy review that the focus of the U.S. mission is al Qaeda, but it doesn't take 100,0... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464481 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:13:14 +0100 4464481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399513&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUQLK8clRt6Q%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanLindsay Graham isn’t alone when he imagines an emerging “isolationist wing” of the Republican Congress. Pundits have lately both lamented and celebrated the arrival of a Tea Party foreign policy, where deficit fears restrain military adventures and Pentagon spending. I wish there were such a thing. My op-ed in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer shows that there isn’t.  I report there on research that I did (really research that intern Matt Fay did) on support among Republicans in the House and Senate for cutting defense spending and getting out of Afghanistan. I found little. I also tested the idea that the Tea Party is restraining Republican militarism, by comparing the 101 freshmen that largely claim adherence to that movement to other... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399513 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:03:55 +0100 4399513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394419&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUQLK8clRt6Q%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanLindsay Graham isn’t alone when he imagines an emerging “isolationist wing” of the Republican Congress. Pundits have lately both lamented and celebrated the arrival of a tea-party foreign policy, where deficit fears restrain military adventures and Pentagon spending. I wish there were such a thing. My op-ed in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer shows that there isn’t.  I report there on research that I did (really research that intern Matt Fay did) on support among Republicans in the House and Senate for cutting defense spending and getting out of Afghanistan. I found little. I also tested the idea that the tea-party is restraining Republican militarism, by comparing the 101 freshmen that largely claim adherence to that movement to other... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394419 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:03:55 +0100 4394419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4372029&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FP1z4bz7NXyk%2F By Justin LoganMax Boot is thinking about US military personnel training the Afghan security forces and feeling irritated: What irritates me about the whole situation is that it is the U.S. that has to pick up the tab. Our troops are already doing the bulk of the fighting. Why don’t our rich allies — e.g., Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, France, Italy, Germany, Britain — pay for more of the cost of training? Some of those countries have made sizable troop contributions; others haven’t. But the U.S. has done more than any of them in terms of fighting the Taliban directly. Why do we have to do so much more than the rest of them in financing the Afghan Security Forces too? I should note that their failure to ante up should not be an excuse for us to walk away. This is not an act of altr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4372029 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:21:19 +0100 4372029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277815&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fe-kuu90lUGU%2F By David BoazThis simple chart dramatizes something that I don’t think most Americans realize: the tripling of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by President Obama. Now it’s true that when candidate Barack Obama vowed, “I will bring this war to an end in 2009,” he was talking about Iraq. In July 2008 he suggested that he would send two more brigades — about 8000 troops — to Afghanistan. He has far exceeded that, and we can only wonder whether the voters who responded to his antiwar message anticipated that he would increase the number of troops in Afghanistan by almost as much as he reduced the number in Iraq. The Incredible Expanding Afghan War is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277815 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:05:38 +0100 4277815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265687&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FueRzNG8I_pU%2F By Malou InnocentPresident Obama released his Afghanistan war review today. It highlights progress on the battlefield against insurgents, the success of Special Forces operations and drone strikes, and achievements in training the Afghan security forces. I have four thoughts on the matter: First, scattered throughout the document are passages such as “al-Qa’ida’s senior leadership in Pakistan is weaker,” “[a]l-Qa’ida’s senior leadership has been depleted,” and “al-Qa’ida’s leadership cadre have diminished.” However, can we deter more jihadists than our efforts help to inspire? After all, “fighting them over there so they don’t fight us here” did not deter Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad and his inco... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265687 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:31:24 +0100 4265687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265697&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F5SZqy57TsNA%2F By Doug BandowThe Obama administration apparently plans to issue a positive Pentagon review of the war in Afghanistan.  Alas, this assessment evidently is not shared by U.S. intelligence agencies. Reports the New York Times: As President Obama prepares to release a review of American strategy in Afghanistan that will claim progress in the nine-year-old war there, two new classified intelligence reports offer a more negative assessment and say there is a limited chance of success unless Pakistan hunts down insurgents operating from havens on its Afghan border. The reports, one on Afghanistan and one on Pakistan, say that although there have been gains for the United States and NATO in the war, the unwillingness of Pakistan to shut down militant sanctuaries in its lawless tribal region rem... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265697 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 14:21:05 +0100 4265697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4238153&cid=t_106283_151_f&fid=35797&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewrecovery.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fdrug-mafioso-heads-afghan-anti.html Afghan President Hamid Karzai nominated, and the Afghan Parliament overwhelmingly approved, the appointment of Zarar Ahmad Moqbel as Minister of Counter Narcotics this past January.  Moqbel is "associated with the drug mafia," according to U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry in a secret cable to Washington released Dec. 2 by Wikileaks.org, the whistleblower website.  Eikenberry wrote about Moqbel:He is perhaps the worst of the candidates. Former Deputy Interior Minister and MP Helaludin Helal claimed to us January 11 that Moqbel was supported by the drug mafia, to include Karzai’s younger half-brother Ahmed Wali Karzai and Arif Khan Noorzai.Moqbel received the highest number of votes of any of the cabinet nominees.  The 249 members of the Afghan Parliament, know... New Recovery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4238153 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:43:00 +0100 4238153 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214075&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHTAgh2Zoqq4%2F By Malou InnocentFor years I have told anybody who would listen how U.S. efforts to stabilize Afghanistan contribute to Pakistan’s slow-motion collapse. Well it appears that my take on the situation was not so over-the-top. Amid some 250,000 confidential diplomatic cables released by online whistleblower Wikileaks, former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson warned in cable traffic that U.S. policy in South Asia “risks destabilizing the Pakistani state, alienating both the civilian government and the military leadership, and provoking a broader governance crisis without finally achieving the goal.” On one level, this cable underscores what a disaster American foreign policy has become. But on another level, the leak of this and other cables strikes me as�... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214075 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:37:02 +0100 4214075 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4179305&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9PUnzUnh61g%2F By Christopher PrebleThe inherent vulnerabilities and shortcomings of an alliance created in 1949 to defeat an adversary that ceased to exist in 1989 will be on display for all to see tomorrow when President Obama and leaders of NATO meet in Lisbon. I predict that President Obama will try to put the best possible gloss on the alliance’s inability to resolve its internal differences over Afghanistan, and the leaders of the other NATO countries will surely do the same. But they can not obscure the fact that an alliance that was expanded on the premise that it was uniquely suited to deal with problems far outside of Europe has revealed itself to be all but irrelevant. Much of the media coverage has focused on the NATO mission in Afghanistan, especially the new, new target date for ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4179305 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:53:38 +0100 4179305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4122068&cid=t_106283_151_f&fid=35797&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewrecovery.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fsliding-into-iraqistan.html [Originally posted 29 Oct 2010 on hellowellness.in]Drug use among the Karzai government forces in Afghanistan is old news. That country is, after all, the world’s leading producer of opium, and high government officials, including the President’s brother, are widely believed to be among the kingpins in the heroin trade.  Now comes a report, in Monday’s New York Times, that government troops in Iraq have been sliding in the same direction. Reporters Timothy Williams and Omar al-Jawoshy write from Baghdad: “A growing number of Iraqi security force members are becoming dependent on drugs or alcohol, which has led to concerns about a significant addiction problem among the country’s armed services as the insurgency remains a potent force and American troops prepare to ... New Recovery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4122068 Sat, 30 Oct 2010 21:15:00 +0100 4122068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074039&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPy6axhtdv2s%2F By David RittgersYou’ve probably heard that Linda Norgrove, the kidnapped British aid worker in Afghanistan who died in a rescue attempt, appears to have been killed by a grenade thrown by one of the Navy SEALs coming to her aid, not a suicide bomb vest as initially reported. Two things come to mind here. First, the fact that it was a grenade and not a suicide vest that killed her only came to light because of the video cameras capturing the event. The unit performing the rescue had cameras mounted on the helicopters and the helmets of the SEALs on the ground. As I said in this video and this blog post, cameras provide an honest witness in these dangerous situations. Second, compare the accountability the SEAL will face with what would happen to a SWAT team member. It appears that the SE... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074039 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:29:46 +0100 4074039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045076&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FeIRdhzfpV4Q%2F By Christopher PrebleI’m thrilled to be participating in a day-long conference on Capitol Hill next week to coincide with the release of a new book from the University of Chicago, Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It. Co-authored by Robert Pape and James Feldman, the book builds on Pape’s earlier pioneering work, including here and here, into the causes of terrorism. Drawing on data compiled by the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism (CPOST), the book includes chapters on Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, Chechnya and Sri Lanka. The authors’ concluding observations offer some hope for those of us who have been calling for a new narrative pertaining to counterterrorism, one that begins with the presumption that... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045076 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:03:48 +0100 4045076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4018159&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FN0pdSoTaXhQ%2F By Christopher PrebleToday’s Washington Post features an op-ed by John Hopkins’ SAIS professor Eliot Cohen arguing – via a series of fictional statements — that the Obama team’s decision to speak with Bob Woodward is likely to have a devastating impact on our ability to win in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The technique is too cute by half. I could just as easily come up with a series of quotes by people who believe that the costs of the war in Afghanistan far exceed the benefits. (e.g. The widow of a soldier killed in Afghanistan, upon reading the Woodward excerpts, bursts into tears. “Why have we chosen to fight a war that Gen. Petraeus admits we will likely never win, and which our children and grandchildren will be fighting?”) By the same token,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4018159 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:26:04 +0100 4018159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993867&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJ8NZG1_GdC0%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanOn the National Interest‘s Skeptics blog, I have a new post about my lack of outrage over the revelations in Bob Woodward’s new book about Obama and Afghanistan. Unlike John Bolton and Heritage, I don’t think that the President’s comment that we can withstand another terrorist attack like 9-11 is offensive. After all, we can, and saying so doesn’t mean you want to try it. As I put it there: What’s truly outrageous is the notion that the only valid response to terrorism is cowering fear at home and endless warfare abroad. Somehow, for much the right, crediting our enemies with the ability to wreck our society is required, and it is verboten to say that we are something other than a pathetic, brittle nation that cannot manage adver... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993867 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:42:00 +0100 3993867 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993878&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FupZ-3V7eDVA%2F By Malou InnocentThe New York Times reports that the book, Obama’s Wars, by longtime Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward that is scheduled for publication next week, depicts an administration completely at odds over the war in Afghanistan. According to Woodward, the president concluded from the start that “I have two years with the public on this.” He implored his advisers at one meeting, “I want an exit strategy,” and he set a withdrawal timetable because, “I can’t lose the whole Democratic Party.” It’s unfortunate that the policy debate over Afghanistan will be further spun into a left-vs.-right issue. After all, there are growing, if nascent, signs that some on the political right have reservations about our continued military involvem... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993878 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:07:26 +0100 3993878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965390&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FT6X_ErgLLGg%2F By Justin LoganI have a post responding to some of the critics of the recent Afghanistan Study Group report (in which I participated) over at at the National Interest.  A snip is below: I am forced to conclude that neither [Joshua] Foust nor [Andrew] Exum understands what strategy is. It is not, pace Foust, induced by piling up mounds of granular operational and tactical detail and then seeing what one can shape out of the pile. Instead, those engaged in strategy must attempt to discern and state clearly the interests at stake (in this case those the United States has in Afghanistan or the region more broadly) and then to attempt to connect the complex chain of ends, ways, and means in order to explain how best to pursue those interests. I thought the report was fairly clear on the task f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965390 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:16:04 +0100 3965390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965398&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRa6-2P3r7e8%2F By Malou InnocentI have a piece in the latest issue of Foreign Service Journal that details the ongoing clash of competing strategic interests among the United States, Pakistan, India, Iran, and other regional powers in Afghanistan . It’s a point I’ve belabored in the past (see here, here, here, and here, for example), yet it remains an understated problem in Washington’s Central and South Asia policy. C’est la vie. Check it out! (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965398 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:13:31 +0100 3965398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3942775&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fnn5XaddC4Zw%2F By Malou InnocentOver at “The Skeptics” blog at The National Interest Online, I wrote a short piece detailing the abysmal state of the Afghan army and police — you know, the institutions that are supposed to take over responsibility for security and allow U.S. forces to being to come home? “From illiteracy and corruption to poor vetting and low pay, the current training effort has yielded a force of compromised caliber.” What’s more: “An AP reporter on patrol with Americans at Combat Outpost Ware in the Arghandab Valley found that when the Afghans go on patrol they are treated as outsiders. “When they see us, the old men say, ‘They are the sons of the British,’ ” Lt. Haskar said, explaining that the villagers equate both the Americans and the Afgh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3942775 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:31:34 +0100 3942775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3929344&cid=t_106283_129_f&fid=35709&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FUniqueButNotAlone%2F%7E3%2Fs20ZPH--eEk%2Ftim-is-home-from-afghanistan.html When you were just a boy of 5 I left to start my adult life Off to college I went Before I left, you tugged my sleeve, and said "You can't go. You're the other mom." "Sorry Timmy. I'll miss you, but... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Unique But Not Alone) Unique But Not Alone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3929344 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:43:00 +0100 3929344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3929219&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYQ9csW4yt14%2F By Malou InnocentFrom this week’s Washington Post: Afghanistan’s Central Bank has taken control of the country’s biggest and most politically potent private bank and ordered its chairman to hand over $160 million worth of luxury villas and other real estate purchased in Dubai for well-connected insiders, according to Afghan bankers and officials. Farther down the page the article continues: Kabul Bank previously had been shielded by the political clout of its shareholders who, in addition to Mahmoud Karzai [President Hamid Karzai’s brother, who partly owns Kabul Bank], include Haseen Fahim, the brother of Vice President Mohammed Fahim. If this hostile takeover wasn’t questionable enough, the article goes on to report: Kabul Bank’s biggest creditor, bank i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3929219 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:03:43 +0100 3929219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880839&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ff0-lqsIiPms%2F In a recent interview with the New York Times, top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, argued “against any precipitous withdrawal of forces by July 2011,” and added he did not take over merely to “preside over a ‘graceful exit.’” That an active-duty army general is committed to a pending military engagement is nothing new. Nevertheless, I have some thoughts about this interview, and the rest of the general’s weekend “media blitz,” that I think are worth sharing. First off, that Petraeus is against a “precipitous withdrawal” reminds me of the many straw man arguments bandied about during the most explosive days in Iraq. However, back then, even the staunchest (and more serious) anti-Iraq War critics did n... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880839 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:56:16 +0100 3880839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880841&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FuA55WNm8Kmk%2F Ronald Brownstein points to the many measures showing Americans have lost confidence in their government and in some private institutions.  He concludes that these signs of distrust “point toward a widely shared conviction that the country’s public and private leadership is protecting its own interest at the expense of average (and even comfortable) Americans.” Maybe. But there is another interpretation. Consider the recent performance of the government and of more than a few businesses. Most Americans do not pay attention to the details of governing. They have other things to occupy their time. They do, however, notice important matters like war and the economy. Since about 2004, Americans have steadily soured on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The economy remains wea... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880841 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:25:39 +0100 3880841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3862002&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F7J9mbdcuMHs%2F By Justin LoganQuick show of hands, who’s surprised to see this? (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3862002 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:40:56 +0100 3862002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858335&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F08%2F11%2Fthree-western-women-followed-their-hearts-to-afghanistan-and-died-there%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up. Three Western Women Followed Their Hearts to Afghanistan, and Died There. The good die young. Not surprising, since they’re always running off to where the trouble is. Three weeks ago, the trouble was poverty and lack of health care in an isolated part of Afghanistan. The Kabul-based group International Assistance Mission, or IAM, put together a group of volunteers that included six Americans. The team leader was optometrist Tom Little, a New Yorker who’d lived in Afghanistan for three decades. The volunteers included three women, all from different countries: 36-year-old British surgeon Dr. Karen Woo, 35-year-old German linguist Daniela Beyer and 32-year-old American nutritionist Cheryl Beckett. Their teammates were Dr. Tom Grams, Glen... Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858335 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:28:56 +0100 3858335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854506&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0mOhlbpQwjk%2F By Justin LoganIn June I pointed to what I thought was an interesting article co-authored by CFR’s Stephen Biddle that took a rather dim view of the prospects of fighting a counterinsurgency war on Hamid Karzai’s behalf in Afghanistan. CFR has posted a transcript of a media call from earlier today with Biddle, who’s just returned from Afghanistan, hosted by Gideon Rose, the new editor of Foreign Affairs.  There are some interesting tidbits in there.  Try this, where Biddle has been working to try to push out well into the future any prospective date by which we can judge progress or a lack thereof in the fight: ROSE: So what I hear you saying is that you have a Potter-Stewart version of a definition of success, but not a Potter-Stewart definition of failure. In other wo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854506 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:01:10 +0100 3854506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3845058&cid=t_106283_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fnurse-glen-lapp-confirmed-killed-afghan-taliban-attack%2F Nurse Glen Lapp has been confirmed killed in this weekend’s murder of ten medical aid workers in a remote part of Afghanistan. Lapp, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania had been in the country since 2008. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3845058 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:07:42 +0100 3845058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3822903&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FobbiqKKN4rg%2F By David RittgersI finally found the time to go through the WikiLeaks’ Afghan War Diary entries containing accounts of my 2004 tour in Afghanistan (my third tour; appropriate bio and disclaimer can be found here). I am underwhelmed. I am not sure what Julian Assange thought the release of these documents would tell people about the war in Afghanistan, beyond the fact that people are shooting at each other and that, generally speaking, war is Hell. If I identified the entries associated with my service in Afghanistan, you would read summaries of the firefights and rocket attacks that my unit faced, with metrics of rounds fired and received and associated casualties. Parallel to Noah Schachtman’s excellent write-up contrasting his experiences while embedded with Marines in Helmand Provin... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3822903 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:21:27 +0100 3822903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3812956&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fa4AacbiOrYs%2F By Christopher PreblePresident Obama’s announcement that the U.S. will meet the August 31 deadline for removing combat troops from Iraq is welcome news. It is encouraging that the president remains on track to end the war in Iraq as he promised to do. The president should continue this progress and adhere to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and remove the 50,000 troops that will remain in Iraq by the end of 2011. Although political and security uncertainties remain, these concerns should not delay the withdrawal. There will always be excuses, especially from those who favored the war at the outset, for an open-ended presence. Such a policy reversal would be neither warranted nor wise. An expeditious military withdrawal from Iraq, and a handover of security responsibilities to th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3812956 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:58:29 +0100 3812956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802554&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F07%2F29%2Fafghanistan-obama-and-the-man-in-the-mirror%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on Politics Daily. Afghanistan, Obama and the Man in the Mirror. Filed under: Politics Daily Tagged: afghanistan, comics, george w bush, obama, political cartoon, war (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802554 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:29:39 +0100 3802554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3795023&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F07%2F27%2Fwikileaks-founder-julian-assange-speaks-treason-%25e2%2580%2594-fluently%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up. WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Speaks ‘Treason’ — Fluently. Some 70 years ago, actor Errol Flynn as Robin Hood responded to the accusation “You speak treaons!” with the now-classic retort “Fluently.” We all loved that kind of treason, and maybe you’ll learn to love this kind too. You gotta admit Mr. Assange is hot. (Yes, I’m shallow. All you deep people out there, move along.) Julian Assange, whose website WikiLeaks just released 92,000 classified documents on the war in Afghanistan, hails from Errol Flynn’s country of Australia. As does the charismatic Hugh Jackman. Jackman alone makes up for Australia giving us pop crooner Peter Allen (whom Jackman portrayed in the musical theater mess &#8... Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3795023 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:39:06 +0100 3795023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790887&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F07%2F26%2Fwikileaks-just-put-your-lips-together-and-whistleblow%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on Politics Daily. WikiLeaks: Just Put Your Lips Together and Whistleblow. Filed under: Politics Daily Tagged: afghanistan, comics, obama, political cartoon, war, wikileaks (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790887 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:07:20 +0100 3790887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790685&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGF9W2eRZRAE%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanIn publishing a massive trove of government documents on the war in Afghanistan, WikiLeaks has done a useful thing. And because it often publishes information that is embarrassing to government, rather than dangerous to it, WikiLeaks is a good thing for democracy. I say that to prevent the criticism below from getting me labeled as part of an effort to silence WikiLeaks or distract from the news it generates. For starters — and this is more about the media than WikiLeaks — there’s the fact that thus far there is little new here. As we saw last week with the Washington Post’s Top Secret America blockbuster, the media fetishizes secret information, even when it merely elaborates on stories we’ve already heard. My problem with WikiLeaks is ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790685 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:54:06 +0100 3790685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753802&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fi-nec6ZR6io%2F By Justin Logan"No, really—tell him that. 'Hanging from a lamppost!'" Three weeks ago I observed that Stephen Biddle, a Council on Foreign Relations scholar who previously had emphasized the centrality of Hamid Karzai to the prospects for success in Afghanistan, had coauthored an article in Foreign Affairs on Afghanistan that hardly mentioned Karzai. Now one of the archbishops of counterinsurgency and close Petraeus confidante David Kilcullen appears to have joined the “To Hell with Karzai” caucus as well.  First, in an interview with Doyle McManus of the LA Times, Kilcullen lamented that Karzai “has been treating us as if he’s got us over a barrel,” and suggested that we might want to remind the Afghan president that “he’s a g... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753802 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:55:21 +0100 3753802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3729857&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzCVkHGlGw_8%2F By David BoazThe folks at the Center for American Progress, in their daily anti-right email, wrongly call the Cato Institute conservative and wrongly spell our name CATO. But what I find more amusing is that the email, prompted by Michael Steele’s confused remarks about Afghanistan and the reaction against him, is titled “The Right Wing’s Addiction to War.” They have a point. But who’s running the Iraq and Afghanistan wars now? Isn’t it the man who once said I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home. and I was opposed to this war in 2002….I have been against it in 2002, 2003, 2004, 5, 6, 7, 8 and I will bring this war to an end in 2009. So don’t be confused. The right wing may be addicte... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3729857 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:37:35 +0100 3729857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3729847&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fwomens-rights-iranian-woman-to-be-stoned%2F image via The Huffington Post Let’s face it: The Middle East is a dangerous place to be if you’re a woman. Just last week we learned about innocent women locked up in an Afghanistan prison for fabricated crimes, and today we read on The Huffington Post about an Iranian mother of two who could be stoned to death at any moment. Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was accused of adultery in 2006 and received a punishment of 99 lashes. Her case was then re-opened, and she was put on trial for the alleged murder of her husband. Even though she was acquitted, the judge handed down her death penalty order – even though there was no evidence. Last week, Amnesty International called for Iran to halt all executions, but the International Committee Against Stoning and the Death Penalty says tha... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3729847 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:51:53 +0100 3729847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714145&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fshould-aghanistan-be-allowed-to-put-women-in-prison-for-moral-crimes%2F When you think of prison inmates, you probably imagine people who’ve been accused of heinous crimes like murder, armed robbery, or embezzlement, but in Afghanistan, women are jailed for being accused of much less. At the only women’s prison in Afghanistan, at least half the women there are incarcerated under accusations of bad character, and other “moral crimes.” Women are often falsely accused of crimes and jailed because of grudges or vendettas, or merely because their husbands are the ones who accuse them. When one woman’s husband claimed she was an adulteress, she was thrown in prison – all while she was three months pregnant with his child. Putting their wives in jail certainly seems like an easy way for Afghan men to get out of being married and keep w... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714145 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:50:17 +0100 3714145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3703080&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F06%2F27%2Fgeneral-mcchrystal-an-army-of-none%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on Politics Daily. General McChrystal: An Army of None. Filed under: Politics Daily Tagged: afghanistan, army, chaos theory, general mcchrystal, military, political cartoon, recruit, slogan (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3703080 Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:32:02 +0100 3703080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3699482&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ftd80vNsQxJI%2F By Justin LoganStephen Biddle During the discussions in 2009 over what to do in Afghanistan, Stephen Biddle of the Council on Foreign Relations emerged as an influential voice for staying in the country and ramping up a counterinsurgency campaign.  In a widely-read article titled “Is It Worth It?” the author answered in the affirmative but warned that an expanded war would be “costly, risky and worth waging—but only barely so.” In support of the administration’s Afghanistan policy, Biddle has argued repeatedly that our cart is hitched to Hamid Karzai’s horse.  In January of this year Biddle declared that winning the war “is going to require, among other things, a conscious decision by Hamid Karzai to…implement reforms. If we can... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3699482 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:46:00 +0100 3699482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687077&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsU0ck1i-3J8%2F By Christopher PrebleApparently not. Unlike Douglas MacArthur, Stanley McChrystal has tendered his resignation. President Obama should accept it, and move swiftly to put this unfortunate incident behind him. This story moved so quickly that I wasn’t able to keep up. In the early morning, we learned that McChrystal had been called to Washington for face-to-face meetings with President Obama (aka The Commander in Chief), and Robert Gates (the SecDef who has built a reputation for sacking generals). McChrystal’s press aide was fired. By early afternoon, others, including those sympathetic to the general, were predicting that he would step down, or that he should be fired if he did not (Eliot Cohen “This is a firing offense”; Peter Feaver “This is clearly a f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687077 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:50:50 +0100 3687077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687085&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMvnFxXxTyDc%2F By Malou InnocentThe New York Times reports that congressional investigators have found mounting evidence that “American taxpayers have inadvertently created a network of warlords across Afghanistan who are making millions of dollars escorting NATO convoys and operating outside the control of either the Afghan government or the American and NATO militaries.” The Financial Times broke this story back in March. But their most startling discovery was that after nearly a decade at war in Afghanistan, Washington still has no clue as to who its true enemies (and allies) are. Many Americans would be surprised to learn that some prominent Afghan officials are in fact saboteurs of America’s presumptuous and dangerously quixotic nation-building endeavor, instituting policies that feed the insu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687085 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:00:59 +0100 3687085 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687089&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fn8dVQCjbHys%2F Conclusion Koehl admits that gays “have served in every army in every war since we began recording the history of warfare.” If that is the case, and if we can change policy without impacting American readiness – and yes, combat effectiveness – as the British and Israeli experiences show, then resistance to ending DADT seems less a matter of national security and more a political football. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687089 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:59:48 +0100 3687089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3683607&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FF5zDg0Vzbyw%2F By Malou InnocentToday’s Washington Post reports that residents of Gizab, a village in southern Afghanistan, reclaimed their territory from the Taliban. One U.S. commander called it “perhaps the most important thing that has happened in southern Afghanistan this year.” Gizab may eventually turn back to Taliban control, but at least for now, we can try and postulate as to why local residents successfully defended their territory, achieving what the coalition has been trying to do for years throughout the country but to no avail. Here’s a thought: allow Afghans to fight the Taliban themselves and slowly back away. Unfortunately, this story may reinforce the atrocious ”One Tribe at a Time” formulation, a strategy that entails coalition troops “... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3683607 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:41:01 +0100 3683607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3665954&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fq5FZkQAzo-M%2F By David RittgersStuart Koehl has a piece at The Weekly Standard against ending Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT). He presents a comprehensive set of arguments based on readiness, that ending DADT will hurt the effectiveness of the force. I disagree, and it’s worth pointing out that he is quick to dismiss the fact that other first-rate militaries have allowed gays to serve without damaging readiness. As he puts it: But history provides plenty of evidence that homosexuality does undermine unit cohesion.  The current practices of other armies are an experiment in progress, which should not overturn empirically proven policies.  There are also significant differences between those armies and the United States military.  The first is scale—the entire British army is barely the size of the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3665954 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:09:44 +0100 3665954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3665956&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9FB0LBMw7so%2F By Malou InnocentOn June 13, the New York Times reported that America “just discovered” a trillion dollars worth of mineral resources in Afghanistan (HT to Katie Drummond over at Danger Room for offering some enlightened skepticism on the topic). Of course, the U.S. Geological Survey has known about Afghanistan’s “large quantities of iron and copper” since 2007. The Los Angeles Times reported that geologist Bonita Chamberlain, who has spent 25 years working in Afghanistan, “identified 91 minerals, metals and gems at 1,407 potential mining sites” as far back as 2001. Chamberlain was even contacted by the Pentagon to write a report on the subject just weeks after 9/11 (possibly to expound upon the findings of her co-authored book, “Gems... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3665956 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:35:59 +0100 3665956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3639745&cid=t_106283_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2010%2F06%2F08%2Fafghanistan-5%2F Lashkargah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, June 2010 In the male inpatient department of Boost Hospital, MSF doctor Sergio Cabral examines 2 year old Amir who has pneumonia. MSF is providing medical care at the Ahmed Shah Baba hospital in eastern Kabul and the Lashkargah Provincial Hospital in Helmand Province. The growing insecurity in Helmand Province is forcing people to go to extreme lengths to seek either routine or emergency care at often dysfunctional health structures. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3639745 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:27:12 +0100 3639745 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3618050&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F06%2F01%2Fwar-casualties-and-the-emptiness-left-behind%2F My new post on Politics Daily / Woman Up. War Casualties and the Emptiness Left Behind. The first reply to my post “On Memorial Day, Remember the Mothers, Children, Wives and Lovers Too” was from a high school teacher. She remembered Sgt. Ronald Kubik, one of the soldiers featured in the story. She had him in her English class. Sgt. Ronald Kubik, 1988-2010 A month ago Kubik died in Afghanistan. His teacher wrote: “It seems like yesterday that I taught him, but in reality, 7 years have passed since the last day of his freshman year. Ron’s passing has really hit me hard. I might not have seen him in over 4 years (he always stopped by to visit even after he moved and graduated) but I am still having difficulty coming to terms with his untimely death.” I don&#8217... Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3618050 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:11:57 +0100 3618050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3581589&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqQhz168ZCV4%2F By Christopher PrebleThe Economist is featuring an online debate this week around the proposition “This house believes that the war in Afghanistan is winnable.” John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security agrees. Peter Galbraith takes the opposing view. The organizers of the event invited me to contribute my two cents. Excerpts of my essay (“Featured Guest,” on the right side of the page) are posted below: The appropriate question is not whether the war is winnable. If we define victory narrowly, if we are willing to apply the resources necessary to have a reasonable chance of success, and if we have capable and credible partners, then of course the war is winnable. Any war is winnable under these conditions. None of these conditions exist in Afghanistan, h... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3581589 Thu, 20 May 2010 13:52:22 +0100 3581589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3577389&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FyC8SNr6u_6M%2F By Neal McCluskeyThere’s a lot to learn about what’s going on in federal education policy today, and none of it is good. First, Steven Brill offers a revealing look at the Race to the Top evaluation process in a piece that can be added to the ever-growing pile of evidence that Race to the Top isn’t even close to the objective — or, I’d add, powerful — catalyst for meaningful reform that the Obama administration insists it is. Second, it appears that congressional Democrats are preparing to pass a Harkin-proposed, Obama-endorsed, $23 billion bailout for teachers by attaching it to an “emergency” appropriation for the war in Afghanistan. (Passing major — and highly suspect – education legislation by attaching it to something to... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3577389 Tue, 18 May 2010 17:39:02 +0100 3577389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3542576&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNW6tlZPSW14%2F By Doug BandowHerat, Afghanistan—Malou Innocent and I have escaped Kabul for the much more pleasant city of Herat, in northwest Afghanistan near Iran and Turkmenistan.  We haven’t left all of Afghanistan’s many problems behind, but the atmosphere here is far different than in Kabul. Set in a wide plain, Herat played an important historic role as part of the “Silk Road,” the famed Asian trading route.  Although captured by the victorious Taliban, Herat showed little sympathy for its new overlords.  After its liberation the city suffered from the domination of “warlord” Ismail Khan, but sprouts of liberalism increasingly can be seen in Herat.  For instance, though women are expected to cover their hair, women’s organizations have proliferated and gained public acceptance.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3542576 Fri, 07 May 2010 14:21:08 +0100 3542576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529763&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fb2MI8UL4AhE%2F By Doug BandowKabul, Afghanistan—Malou Innocent and I have been interviewing a range of people in Afghanistan’s capital.  Getting around isn’t easy.  The traffic is horrendous: automobile ownership has grown on roads built for a different era.  Street upkeep is not one of the city government’s strong suits.  Police checkpoints and traffic barriers dot Kabul. Arriving at your destination is merely the start.  Military bases, government ministries, Western embassies, luxury hotels, and large businesses are fortified with tall walls, barbed wire, concrete barriers, reinforced gates, and guard posts.  Armed personnel man entrances and patrol grounds.  As so often is the case, it quickly becomes evident on the ground that foreign conflicts are far more complicated than commonly ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529763 Tue, 04 May 2010 12:50:42 +0100 3529763 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3524096&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBQ5YE-T75SY%2F By Doug BandowKabul, Afghanistan—Malou Innocent and I have just arrived in Kabul. (Traveling with us is Josef Storm, who spent a year in Kabul and has become interested in Cato’s ideas and work.) Since we’re writing about the war and American and NATO involvement, we decided that it was important to visit and learn as much as possible. The journey in was sobering. On Saturday we flew into Dubai, a relatively liberal Gulf sheikdom. Female visitors had no need to cover their heads; men could wear shorts. Our hotel served alcohol. It didn’t feel much different from home. Sunday morning we boarded our Kam Air flight (www.flykamair.com). Virtually everyone on the plane was a Westerner. Quite a few were Americans, but I heard a British accent as well as someone speaking German. Although ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3524096 Sun, 02 May 2010 11:13:01 +0100 3524096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3463577&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FIXSSGcoD_SU%2F By Chris MoodyIn a new episode of Stossel,  Cato’s David Boaz and Jeffrey Miron join a panel of experts to discuss where libertarians stand on a host of major issues facing the nation today.  They tackle libertarian views on war, abortion, the welfare state, gay rights and more. Watch the videos below for a full re-cap. The first video covers the so-called culture wars, including gay marriage, abortion and immigration: More videos after the jump. In the second video they discuss the role of government in providing aid to the poor: In the third video, the panelists discuss libertarian views of war. Should the United States leave Afghanistan and Iraq? What should we do about Iran? Watch: If you’re hungry for more, the segment is a great supplement to David Boaz’s time... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3463577 Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:35:43 +0100 3463577 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3441016&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F04%2F05%2Fpresident-karzai-and-the-press-its-complicated%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on AOL’s Politics Daily. President Karzai and the Press . . . It’s Complicated. Filed under: Politics Daily Tagged: afghanistan, freedom of the press, journalism, karzai, Media (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3441016 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:45:19 +0100 3441016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3390746&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFBwK0iwj8Ss%2F By Malou InnocentRemember Marjah? The Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan captured several weeks ago by U.S. and Afghan forces? I remember the offensive being hailed as a big deal. Well, what happened? Although they have been pushed out of power in Marjah, Taliban insurgents have slowly been trying to reassert some measure of control. Marjah residents have told U.S. Marines that Taliban insurgents are coming around at night to threaten and beat Afghans who cooperate with the Americans. In at least one confirmed case, said U.S. military officials, the Taliban beheaded a local resident suspected of working with U.S. forces. The U.S. Marines are checking out at reports of at least two other beheadings in Marjah. If that weren’t enough, the newly appointed Afghan official for Marjah, ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3390746 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:55:42 +0100 3390746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3382802&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDalGQa2yPdY%2F By Chris MoodyFormer Congressman and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough delivered the keynote address at today’s conference on the topic of conservatism and the war in Afghanistan. During his speech, Scarborough took on neo-conservatives, Obama’s foreign policy record since taking office, and why the United States is still at war. “In 2010, there’s not much difference between the Republicans’ view on foreign policy and the Democrats’ view of  foreign policy,” said Scarborough. “President Obama… this anti-war president, has doubled the number of troops to Afghanistan to nearly 100,000… and he’s continued the transformation of the Afghanistan effort from a counterterrorism mission to a nation-building mission.” For more,  lis... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3382802 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:22:59 +0100 3382802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3374103&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1WbAUKSdayw%2F By Malou InnocentTomorrow, the Cato Institute will be holding a half-day conference titled, “Escalate or Withdraw? Conservatives and the War in Afghanistan.” One of the many speakers at tomorrow’s conference will be Rep. John Duncan (R-TN). On the House floor this week, he explained why “there is nothing conservative about the war in Afghanistan.” Watch: In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a conservative, and neither are many of my Cato colleagues. This event is intended to highlight that leaving Afghanistan is far beyond Left vs. Right, and that anti-war sentiment is not “owned by peaceniks and pacifists.” You can come to the event, or watch it live online. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374103 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:50:18 +0100 3374103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370401&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0ai6lc-z1W8%2F By Chris Moody Alan Reynolds: The truth about health insurance premiums and profits. An overview of the many hurdles the health care bill still faces in the House. Study: Public schools dishonest about the true cost of education. This video explains it all in less than three minutes. Will conservatives ultimately oppose the war in Afghanistan? Join us for a lively discussion this Thursday at Cato featuring Joe Scarborough, Grover Norquist, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and more. Registration free. Will be broadcast online live Thursday at the link. Podcast: “Documenting Human Rights Abuses in Venezuela” featuring Ian Vásquez. (Don’t tell Sean Penn.) (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370401 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:41:55 +0100 3370401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354297&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsCH1nt1xT6c%2F By Chris Moody Greece, here we come…. Congressional Budget Office estimates budget deficits will average nearly $1 trillion per year for the next decade. Matt Drudge re-titles a Cato op-ed: “Mob Tactics Used to Push Healthcare Through.” Daniel Griswold: “On trade, as on so much else, the populists have it wrong again. Free trade and globalization are great blessings to families across America.“ Could Dennis Kucinich bring both sides of the aisle  together to end the war in Afghanistan? Podcast: “Seventies Redux?” featuring John Samples, author of the forthcoming book The Struggle to Limit Government. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354297 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:44:14 +0100 3354297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3350254&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRvhdQHyodXA%2F By Malou InnocentIn what can only be described as a cheap partisan attack masquerading as patriotic chest-thumping, House Republicans this morning issued a statement opposing Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan because… [drum roll please] the Republicans strongly support the troops in Afghanistan. In a statement of Republican policy forwarded to GOP politicians and their staffers, the House Republican Leadership and the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Republicans write, ”Since the President’s speech, more United States Armed Forces have been deployed to the Afghanistan theatre in support of the implementation of our nation’s counterinsurgency strategy.  Many of them leave behind family... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3350254 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:13:08 +0100 3350254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3290795&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRrseimeybRw%2F By Malou InnocentAnnie Lowrey of Foreign Policy and I discuss the recent capture of a top Taliban operative in Pakistan, India and Pakistan’s use of Afghanistan as a proxy battleground, the Winter Olympic games, and the fight over the conservative soul on bloggingheadstv. Enjoy! (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3290795 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:24:48 +0100 3290795 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3279965&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQUApyBvLC44%2F By Malou InnocentThe capture of the Taliban’s top military commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, is a success in the broader war on terror; however, only time will tell whether it signals Pakistan is convinced that its future security no longer lies in its support for Islamist proxies. It is important to recognize that this apprehension was not a result of blunt military force, but a direct result of diligent intelligence gathering by the military and CIA, in close cooperation with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. This fact serves to further question our objectives in Afghanistan, where blunt military force is the main solution. Indeed, over 100,000 U.S. and coalition troops are deployed, large amounts of resources are expended, and lives are continually lost for what Presiden... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3279965 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:48:48 +0100 3279965 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3275811&cid=t_106283_93_f&fid=35707&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHemodynamics%2F%7E3%2F20y7kywO9Jc%2Fblack-tar-heroin-coming-to-white-people.html Graph: Black tar heroin vs powder heroin, and HIV among injection drug users vs HIV among men who have sex with men, in a map of the US and Canada from Ciccarone and Bourgois 2003--click on the graph for a full-size picture.Black tar heroin is moving east, says the LA Times, in this first part of a three part article I'll be reading over the next days, being moved by folks from Xalisco, Mexico. The strategy described in the LA Times article involves low-profile low-weaponry low-volume operations targeting white people who've been using prescription opiates, and moving small cheap quantities of black tar heroin as an alternative to Oxycontin and Percocet. What will this mean for clinicians on the East Coast if the Xalisco teams and their ilk manage to continue moving black tar heroin eastwa... hemodynamics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3275811 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:08:00 +0100 3275811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3272892&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4a0flCnIdCE%2F By Doug BandowThe U.S. remains stuck in Iraq, as the country moves toward a potentially messy and not so democratic (lots of disqualified parliamentary candidates, etc.) election.  Iran’s refusal to back away from its nuclear program has intensified calls for an American military strike — which, Sarah Palin assures, would even help the president politically.  North Korea unsurprisingly is showing reluctance to rejoin international talks over its nuclear program: renewed proposals for a U.S. military build-up in South Korea and even war against the North are likely to follow.  And then there is Afghanistan. Even though President Barack Obama talks about deadlines and drawdowns, there is little in present policy to suggest that the U.S. will be able to leave Afghanistan in eve... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3272892 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:08:45 +0100 3272892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231462&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFIHIydTTF1U%2F By Chris Moody Another day, another IPCC-gate. Why remaining in Afghanistan and creating a stable government there is not a precondition to keeping America safe. For more, watch the debate on Bloggingheads. Jeffrey Miron: “Leave Mideast, end terrorism.” Could Iran’s nuclear program be a sacrificial pawn? Globalization: A curse or a cure? Podcast: “Liberate Bone Marrow Donors” featuring Jeff Rowes of the Institute for Justice. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231462 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:19:11 +0100 3231462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3212305&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKktZfHgKEmc%2F By Jeffrey A. Miron1. Abandon Obamacare 2. Forget Cap and Trade 3. Reject the Card Check Bill 4. Withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan 5. Legalize Drugs 6. Scrap the tax code and replace with a flat tax 7. Expand free trade and immigration 8. Stop the bailouts 9. Cut spending 10. Cut spending BONUS -  Cut spending (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3212305 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:03:17 +0100 3212305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3204834&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdX2X8JYc_vA%2F By Chris Moody The massive impact government spending has on job creation. Why climate change spurs whining about cold snaps. Beware the “Crusader Temptation”: “Afghanistan has become a target of aggressive pro-war activists in America, including feminists who believe in waging war to improve the status of women.” What happens when the only socialist in the U.S. Senate starts to look moderate when compared to his colleagues? Podcast: “Bush’s Budget-Busting Binge,” featuring Chris Edwards. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3204834 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:15:30 +0100 3204834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3193791&cid=t_106283_109_f&fid=34786&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrmichelletempest.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F01%2Flocal-hero.html This blog is dedicated to Corporal Lee Brownson, 30, from Bishop Auckland, who was sadly killed in a bomb blast near Sangin, in Helmand province, on Friday. The blast also claimed the life of Rifleman Luke Farmer, 19, from West Yorkshire.Corporal Brownson leaves widow, Leeanne, who is expecting the couple’s third child this summer, and daughters Ginalee and Morgan. My thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with his family and friends at this sad time. The deaths of the two men take the number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 to 249. May their sacrifice never be forgotten. (Source: The Psychiatrist Blog) The Psychiatrist Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3193791 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:38:00 +0100 3193791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3142512&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBJy2Fs_Ja2c%2F By Chris Moody Cato Vice President Gene Healy grades President Obama. (Hint: He doesn’t give him a “B+”). Afghanistan: A war we cannot afford. “Democrats say raise taxes. Republicans say no worries. The best policy would be to scale back America’s international commitments.” Doug Bandow: The war in Afghanistan was justified at the beginning, but to escalate now is the  “geopolitical equivalent of shutting the barn doors after the horses have fled.” How U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization enhances the liberty and prosperity of all Americans. Podcast: “TARP: A Congressional Failure” featuring John Samples. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3142512 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:51:21 +0100 3142512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3142195&cid=t_106283_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2F-2Rnu8kUXDs%2F A new bivalent poliovirus vaccine, consisting of infectious, attenuated type 1 and type 3 strains, has been deployed in Afghanistan. The use of this vaccine was recommended by the Advisory Committee on Poliomyelitis Eradication, the global technical advisory body of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Considering the polio experience in Nigeria, the elimination of type 2 poliovirus from the vaccine might have serious consequences. There are three serotypes of poliovirus, all of which can cause poliomyelitis. Infection with one serotype of the virus does not confer protection against the other two; therefore poliovirus vaccines have always included all three serotypes (they are trivalent). The attenuated vaccine that is used in the eradication effort is an infectious vaccine. The vacc... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3142195 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:50:33 +0100 3142195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3133582&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKKgp8fSDho8%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanTerrorists are named after an emotion for a reason. They use violence to produce widespread fear for a political purpose. The number of those they kill or injure will always be a small fraction of those they frighten. This creates problems for leaders, and even analysts, when they talk publicly about terrorism. On one hand, leaders need to convince the public that they are on the case in protecting them, or else they won’t be leaders for long. On the other hand, good leaders try to minimize unwarranted fear. One reason is that we shouldn’t give terrorists what they want. Another is that fear is a real social harm, particularly when it is exaggerated. Stress from fear harms health. It causes bad decisions. For example, if people avoid flying and drive inst... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3133582 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:27:10 +0100 3133582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3133583&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAdXDT33zON0%2F By David BoazThis is not the change we hoped for. President Obama rose to power on the basis of his early opposition to the Iraq war and his promise to end it. But after a year in the White House he has made both of George Bush’s wars his wars. Speaking of Iraq in February 2008, candidate Barack Obama said, “I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home.” The following month, under fire from Hillary Clinton, he reiterated, ”I was opposed to this war in 2002….I have been against it in 2002, 2003, 2004, 5, 6, 7, 8 and I will bring this war to an end in 2009. So don’t be confused.” Indeed, in his famous “the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow” speech on the night ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3133583 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:22:13 +0100 3133583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3107845&cid=t_106283_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2009%2F12%2F21%2Fafghanistan-4%2F Photo: Mads Nissen / Berlingske Lashkargah , Helmand Province – March 2009 A child waits for treatment at ‘Boost Hospital’. MSF has just started working in the only public general hospital still functioning in Helmand, in the provincial capital Lashkargah. It is one of the key health facilities in the south of Afghanistan, a region that is severely affected by ongoing conflict. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3107845 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:39:17 +0100 3107845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3082390&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FetlyVD0kA70%2F By Chris Moody Health care insurance mandates: Why it is unconstitutional for the government to force you to purchase a product you don’t want to buy. Should malpractice reform be included in the pending health care bill? The end of globalization? Cato’s trade policy expert Daniel Griswold debates. Doug Bandow on the minaret ban in Switzerland: “Swiss voters underestimated the impact on religious liberty when they voted to ban minaret construction. But Muslims whose nations persecute Christians, Jews, and other religious minorities have no standing to complain. The Islamic world needs to respect religious liberty at home before lecturing the West about intolerance, racism, hatred and Islamophobia.” More debate over Hayek and spontaneous order at Cato Unbound... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3082390 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:03:39 +0100 3082390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079318&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZ1-mN5zL5Qg%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanI have two complaints about the President’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech, one factual, one theoretical. The first concerns his repetition of the common claim that we live in a world of growing instability and civil war. The president said: The resurgence of ethnic or sectarian conflicts; the growth of secessionist movements, insurgencies, and failed states — all these things have increasingly trapped civilians in unending chaos. Truth requires changing “increasingly” to “decreasingly.” Andrew Mack’s Human Security Brief makes the point. The chart below shows that civil war (intrastate war) — what Obama is talking about here — has become less common over the last several decades. Elsewhere in the report, you can also see that civil war now kills f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079318 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:54:07 +0100 3079318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067018&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fcm-z88jSw5E%2F By Malou InnocentSecretary Gates and Secretary Clinton, among other administration officials, indicated this weekend that the July 2011 date for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan should not be interpreted as an exit strategy, but as a “ramp rather than a cliff.” It now appears the president will not be obligated to adhere to any withdrawal date and can adjust as he deems fit. President Obama’s decision to include a withdrawal date in his speech sends a mixed message to allies and enemies about America’s commitment to the region. It is a misguided effort to placate the American public’s waning support for the mission. Obama should instead be looking for ways to leave Afghanistan, not excuses to dig us in deeper. Essentially, the strategy is to apply the Iraq mo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067018 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:56:41 +0100 3067018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067023&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FpYS4jNbVURM%2F By Chris Moody How the European Union can bring peace to the Middle East. Nat Hentoff on the health care debate: “We do not elect the president and Congress to decide how short our lives will be. That decision is way above their pay grades.” Video: What can autism teach us about economics? Cato’s Malou Innocent debates the troop build up in Afghanistan. Over at Cato Unbound, experts discuss the positive and negative outcomes of modernity. Podcast: Driverless cars? They aren’t as far away as you think. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067023 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:28:40 +0100 3067023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3063245&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FyaTPtAg5IkA%2F There is something immensely moving about young men and women willing to sacrifice their lives for their country.  Indeed, patriotism mixed with a desire for action can be a fearsome thing.  This combination was on display at West Point after President Barack Obama’s speech on Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported on a phone call between Academy professor Mike Meese and his son, an Academy sophomore: Said Col. Mike Meese, chairman of West Point’s social studies department: “There has been an incredible intensity here ever since 9/11. The cadets have a strong belief that this is the defining struggle of their lifetime. Every one of them elected to come here because they want to be a part of it.” Not long after the speech, Meese received a call from his son, Br... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3063245 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:37:47 +0100 3063245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052128&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqfczHlmalmQ%2F Barack Obama first became a credible presidential candidate on the basis of his antiwar credentials and his promise to change the way Washington works. But he has now made both of George Bush’s wars his wars. The Washington Post’s front-page analysis began, “President Obama assumed full ownership of the war in Afghanistan on Tuesday night…” The cover of the tabloid D.C. Express was even more blunt. Speaking of Iraq in February 2008, he said, “I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home.” Responding to Hillary Clinton’s criticisms in March 2008, he said, “I will bring this war to an end in 2009, so don’t be confused.” Now he is promising to end the Iraq war in 201... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052128 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:38:15 +0100 3052128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3052129&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FC9ZA-KfzFgE%2F Chris Preble on Afghanistan: It’s time to leave. “We don’t need 100,000 soldiers in Afghanistan chasing down 100 al-Qaeda fighters.” Malou Innocent on Obama’s West Point speech. A few possible outcomes of U.S. military engagement in the Middle East. More updates on ClimateGate. An overview of all the hidden taxes in the health care overhaul. Podcast: “Obama’s Afghanistan Contradiction“ (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3052129 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:25:29 +0100 3052129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044730&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fuw-CyuxtMzo%2F There are two things that President Obama’s plan won’t do: win the war, or end the war. While all Americans hope that the mission in Afghanistan will turn out well, the U.S. military’s counterinsurgency doctrine says that stabilizing a country the size of Afghanistan would require far more troops than the most wild-eyed hawk has proposed: about 600,000 troops. An additional 30 to 40,000 troops isn’t just a case of too little, too late; it holds almost no prospect of winning the war. Accordingly, this likely won’t be the last prime-time address in which the president proposes sending many more troops to Afghanistan; my greatest fear is that this is only the first of many. But we shouldn’t just commit still more troops. President Obama should have recogniz... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044730 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:55:33 +0100 3044730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3044731&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FeRQDJdrSYEY%2F Reports have leaked out over the past week that President Obama will announce that he is sending additional troops into Afghanistan. The only question seems to be whether he will send 30,000, 40,000 or some number in between. That is, frankly, not a very important issue. And for all of his talk about “off ramps” for the United States if the Afghan government does not meet certain policy targets or “benchmarks,” the reality is that he is escalating our commitment. Since Obama has repeatedly asserted that the war in Afghanistan is a war of necessity, not a war of choice, his talk of off ramps is largely a bluff—and the Afghans probably know it. There are obvious hazards in equating one historical event with a development in a different setting and time period, but t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3044731 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:54:07 +0100 3044731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3039988&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2009%2F11%2F29%2Fobama-afghanistan-youll-laugh-youll-cry-2%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on AOL’s Politics Daily. Obama & Afghanistan: You’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry. Posted in Politics Daily Tagged: afghanistan, chaos theory, long war, obama, political cartoon, troops, war (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3039988 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:50:41 +0100 3039988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3037007&cid=t_106283_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F2009%2F11%2F27%2Fday-by-day-november-27-2009-trials%2F Day By Day by Chris Muir President Obama has AVOIDED making the politically difficult troop decisions in Afghanistan while he has ordered continued drone attacks in outlying Pakistan. Is the President sending conflicting signals? No, actually he is protecting his LEFT flank from criticism. In the meantime, Obama is looking weak and dithering to the American public. Remember he was elected primarily because of Bush aversion and the Iraq War. Should the Afghanistan-Taliban War not go well in the next twelve months and the economy remains weak with high unemployment look for a plethora of GOP candidates waiting to line up for a 2012 run. Previous:The Day By Day Archive Technorati Tags: Day_By_Day, Barack_Obama, Afghanistan Bookmark/Search this post with: (Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental ... FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3037007 Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:17:06 +0100 3037007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023100&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FrshhO2-EQSg%2F Three decades of politics and failed policies at HUD. Michael D. Tanner on the Senate Sell-Outs: “At a time of 10.2 percent unemployment, they voted to make it more expensive to hire workers, especially low-wage workers. With the economy struggling, they voted for $485 billion in tax hikes. They voted to raise the payroll tax, limit your flexible spending account, and tax your health insurance plan. This is moderation?” The limits of U.S. power in Afghanistan: “Even if more troops were better deployed, the odds of reasonable success in reasonable time at reasonable cost are long.” Republican and Democratic senators pushing for subsidizing prayer. In Washington next week? Tom Palmer will be here Tuesday, Dec. 1 to discuss his new book, Realizing Freedom. Can&... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023100 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:38:41 +0100 3023100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999491&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36069&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrankiespeakingfrankly.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fwhat-are-we-doing-in-afghanistan.html Afghanistan is all over the news at the moment, it is a big problem.But what are we really doing there and why?This is what puzzles the general public. And just try and get a straight answer to the question from any politician. Why are we in Afghanistan? You won't ever get an answer that makes the slightest bit of sense.Does any politician really care about the people of Afghanistan, and if they do, then why Afghanistan above other countries where people were suffering much more (before they invaded it)? Does anyone honestly believe that we are in threat of the Taliban attacking the UK if we don't stamp them out in their own country?We went into Afghanistan to catch Bin Laden, and we went to Iraq to destroy weapons of mass destruction, didn't we?Many people knew then, and still know now, t... Frankie Speaking Frankly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999491 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:14:00 +0100 2999491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999509&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FC5rpiwLoIPw%2F Report: New threats to free speech. The politics behind the health care overhaul. Mass corruption in Afghanistan. Malou Innocent: “Washington has already surged into Afghanistan once this year. The United States should not spend more American blood and more of its ever-diminishing financial resources to prop up Karzai’s ineffectual regime.” A government takeover of health care is not pro-choice — for anyone: “Whatever your views on abortion, the fight over abortion in the Obama health plan illustrates perfectly why government should stay out of health care. When the government subsidizes health care, anything you do with that money becomes the voters’ business. And rather than allow for choice between different ways of doing things, the government ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999509 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:17:20 +0100 2999509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2992657&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvDjXwbMOftI%2F As I mentioned here yesterday: [W]hen some people in Washington hear that nation-building in Afghanistan is not a precondition to making America safer, or that prolonging our presence undermines America’s security, the argument for remaining then shifts to preserving the security and human rights of the people of Afghanistan. For example, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, (D-MD), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Aid and Dean of the Senate Women, said last April, “The United States should do everything it can to encourage Afghanistan to respect the basic rights and welfare of women and children.” But Malalai Joya, an Afghan woman elected to her country’s Parliament, says in yesterday’s Mercury News (via GG): As an Afghan woman who was elected to Parliame... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2992657 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:34:55 +0100 2992657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984780&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2qJlkHq0m8U%2F Things you might not want to know: Have you ever thought about how dirty the money in your wallet might be? The case for dropping out of NATO. Gene Healy on the “arrogance of power” involved in running for president these days: “What sort of person wants the job badly enough to spend years living out of a suitcase, begging for cash, glad-handing through primary states, and saying things that no intelligent person could possibly believe?” Doug Bandow: “The fall of the Wall, and the evil system behind it, deserves to be celebrated. Not just on Nov. 9. But every day.” Podcast: “A Looming Decision on Afghanistan“ (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984780 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:27:36 +0100 2984780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2981059&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fh4X6tW4plBo%2F Justin Logan beat me to the punch, but Robert Kagan and Dan Blumenthal’s op-ed in the Washington Post warrants more than just one comment. Kagan and Blumenthal fret that the Obama administration’s policy of “strategic reassurance” is sure to fail. Aimed at encouraging Russia and China, especially, to cooperate with the United States in dealing with a number of common threats, the two predict that the policy will succeed only in making “American allies nervous.” Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Not that we should go around making our allies nervous just for the heck of it, but I worry that our allies have grown, well, too comfortable with the current state of affairs in which American taxpayers and American troops bear a disproportionate ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2981059 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:32:27 +0100 2981059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977265&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4Q16OtSUC8I%2F According to CBS News, President Barack Obama will send most, if not all, of the 40,000 additional troops that General Stanley McChrystal requested and reportedly plans to keep those troops in Afghanistan for the long-term. Watch CBS News Videos Online If the CBS report turns out to be true—the White House has backed away, and other news outlets are leaving the story alone for the moment—the president’s decision is disappointing, but expected. Last month, the administration ruled out the notion of a near-term U.S. exit from Afghanistan, arguing that the Taliban and al Qaeda would perceive an early pullout as a victory over the United States. But if avoiding a perception of weakness is the rationale that the administration is operating under then we have already lost by allowing our ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977265 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:57:18 +0100 2977265 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977269&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNyMuOQoE_9I%2F Last night, CBS reported that President Obama has decided to send “four combat brigades plus thousands more support troops” giving Gen. Stanley McChystal “most, if not all, the additional troops he is asking for.” If the story is accurate (and the White House, via National Security Advisor James Jones, says it is not), the bloggingheads diavlog that I recorded with Peter Beinart late Friday, and that went live yesterday afternoon, could be safely filed under “Day Late, Dollar Short.”   But I hope that is not the case for two reasons. First, I continue to hold out hope that President Obama will choose instead to focus our counterterrorism efforts in other ways, and in other places, instead of deepening our involvement in what is already the longest war... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977269 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:47:48 +0100 2977269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963077&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjM6R2iKJpcE%2F Drop the neocons: “Republicans should take this opportunity to return to their traditional noninterventionist roots and throw their neoconservative wing under the bus.” John Samples on the national impact of this week’s elections: “The evidence suggests the Obama administration might be on the same path that led the Clinton presidency to the election of 1994. But there is an important difference: In 1994, the public had some faith in the alternative to Clinton and the Democrats in Congress.” Afghan election analysis. A few things you might not know about Bhutan. Podcast: “Independents and the GOP Victories“ (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963077 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:33:44 +0100 2963077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954495&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9JAiqXGRTsU%2F US Ambassador's residence, Paris In the course of wondering whether it may not be so important that so few US government personnel speak Pashto, Spencer Ackerman writes: You don’t have to speak French to craft a good U.S. France policy. That’s a fair point, although many, many more U.S. diplomats dealing with France speak French than do the folks dealing with Afghanistan speak Pashto (or Dari, or…).  But the problem is that we don’t have a normal diplomatic relationship with Afghanistan — we’re trying to transform the entire society.  Counterinsurgency guru David Kilcullen tells us Afghanistan is all part of a “global counterinsurgency.” [.pdf] This, of course, is a somewhat more ambitious job than blowing through the cocktail circuit in Pa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954495 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:38:13 +0100 2954495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954498&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlJXkpS4qjr0%2F The “Karzai problem” in Afghanistan: “The U.S. has assisted and sponsored a corrupt, illegitimate and slightly autocratic regime there while purporting to advance the values of freedom and democracy.” Did it work? Cato’s Jeffrey Miron debates the effectiveness of Obama’s stimulus plan. The Democrats’ internal battle: Why they can’t agree on how to overhaul the health care system. The limits of American power in Afghanistan. “Peter Bauer and the Economics of Prosperity“ (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954498 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:07:30 +0100 2954498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2934655&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEcV3_ZrZU5M%2F Former Marine captain Matthew Hoh became the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war. His letter of resignation echoes some arguments I have made earlier this year, namely, that what we are witnessing is a local and regional ethnic Pashtun population fighting against what they perceive to be a foreign occupation of their region; that our current strategy does not answer why and to what end we are pursuing  this war; and that Afghanistan holds little intrinsic strategic value to the security of the United States. In his own words: The Pashtun insurgency, which is composed of multiple, seemingly infinite, local groups, is fed by what is perceived by the Pashtun people as a continued and sustained assault, going back centuries, on Pashtun land, culture, traditions ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2934655 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:39:35 +0100 2934655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2930964&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHIfKJfKp-AQ%2F There is a useful math lesson buried near the end of Greg Jaffe and Karen DeYoung’s widely discussed story on an Afghan war game that the Obama administration is using to weigh the costs and risks of competing strategies. One question being debated is whether more U.S. troops would improve the performance of the Afghan government by providing an important check on corruption and the drug trade, or would they stunt the growth of the Afghan government as U.S. troops and civilians take on more tasks that Afghans might better perform themselves. Another factor is cost. The Pentagon has budgeted about $65 billion to maintain a force of about 68,000 troops, meaning that each additional 1,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan would cost about $1 billion a year. I haven’t seen this figure... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2930964 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:18:50 +0100 2930964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923243&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fksp1dG4eDPw%2F In today’s Politico Arena, the editors ask: Is Obama “dithering” on Afghanistan (Cheney) or fulfilling his “solemn responsibility” (Gibbs)? My response: President Obama got some adult criticism this week from Dick Cheney, none too soon.  While the risk to American troops in Afghanistan grows, Obama dithers, unable to decide whether to get in or get out — whether to be the one thing the Constitution authorizes him to be, Commander in Chief.  Yet he finds time to fly off to Copenhagen to promote Chicago for the Olympics, to insinuate himself in local political campaigns, to go on “Fox hunts,” yesterday excluding Fox News from the White House pool allowed to interview his executive pay czar, and now, we learn, to slash executive salaries at compan... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923243 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:05:13 +0100 2923243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2920162&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQcfvM3KlUm0%2F A few things to consider before comparing Vietnam to Afghanistan. Cato v. Heritage on the Patriot Act. When it comes to energy policy, most conservatives toss free-market ideas aside. When your only choice is to “be a good victim”: Man shoots two people to death in San Francisco while police stand by. Podcast: “Could the Fed Have Foreseen Our Financial Fiasco?“ (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2920162 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:26:16 +0100 2920162 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916080&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fvbo53jxv6ZA%2F I don’t regularly read the Guardian, but when I do it is usually because someone else has called attention to Simon Jenkins’ latest column. Such is the case today. After reading this, I’m adding him to my Google reader subscriptions. This graf pertaining to “Why are we in Afghanistan?” really stood out for me: The excuse that we are preventing another 9/11 is ludicrously thin. That event, whose plotting and training were in Europe and America, will cause the US to spend what Congress puts at a staggering $1.3 trillion in wars and related security by 2019. And still no one has arrested Bin Laden. It must be the most extravagant punitive expedition to the Asian mainland since Agamemnon set off for Troy. For the many people whose sense of history doesn’t ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916080 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:53 +0100 2916080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2904859&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZNjmx3H1Gk0%2F A. It’s encouraging to see Rahm Emanuel and John Kerry saying that we shouldn’t up force levels in Afghanistan without a reliable partner. But if we shouldn’t send 40,000 more troops to prop up a crooked government, why keep the 68,000 we have there? A focused counter-terrorism mission would require far less than that. B. According to Dexter Filkins’ article in the New York Times Magazine, the war in Iraq taught General Stanley McChrystal the following: No situation, no matter how dire, is ever irredeemable — if you have the time, resources and the correct strategy. In the spring of 2006, Iraq seemed lost. The dead were piling up. The society was disintegrating. One possible conclusion was that it was time for the United States to cut its losses in a country that it n... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2904859 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:51:04 +0100 2904859 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898919&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTp8SmB0P4dE%2F Don’t let the sticker price fool you: The Baucus bill would increase the deficit and cost more than $2 trillion over 10 years. There’s no getting around it. There will be cuts in Medicare. The Supreme Court hears Alvarez v. Smith, which will affect the constitutional property rights of many people around the country. Cato’s David Rittgers debates troop build up in Afghanistan. Podcast: Baucus Plan Shrinks Health Care Markets (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898919 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:25:46 +0100 2898919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898926&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAJxasCjcgZI%2F The Hill’s Congress blog has a regular series that provides policy experts a forum to discuss current topics of the day. This week, the editors posed this question: President Obama has taken a very different approach to diplomacy than President Bush. Does the new approach serve or undermine long-term U.S. interests? My response: What “very different approach?” Sure, President Bush implicitly scorned diplomacy in favor of toughness, particularly in his first term. But he sought UN Security Council authorization for tougher measures against Iraq; a truly unilateral approach would have bombed first and asked questions later. By the same token, President Obama has staffed his administration with people, including chief diplomat Hillary Clinton and UN Ambassador Susan Rice, who favore... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898926 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:45:18 +0100 2898926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886416&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F91auaiaEQy0%2F Americans are catching on to the idea that the health care overhaul is really about redistributing health. Can the Republican Party revive itself? David Boaz: “George W. Bush nearly destroyed the Republican Party, but Barack Obama is giving it a chance at resurrection.” Can the federal government handle a health care overhaul? Federal programs are consistently wrought with waste, fraud and cost overruns. A strategy for Afghanistan: Instead of sending thousands of extra troops to Afghanistan, the US should focus on assisting and training Afghan forces. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886416 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:43:51 +0100 2886416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876313&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2009%2F10%2F09%2Fchaos-theory-obama-seeks-war-advice%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on AOL’s Politics Daily: Obama Seeks War Advice. Posted in Politcal Cartoons, Politics Tagged: afghanistan, good war, military advisor, obama, pentagon (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876313 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:52:00 +0100 2876313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879392&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fb7kFuiLywKI%2F Hours after thanking the world for the Nobel Peace Prize this morning, President Obama will gather with his war advisers to ponder sending 60,000 more troops into a country where our national security objectives are unclear at best. Instead of embracing General McChrystal’s proposal for a substantial increase in the U.S. military presence — or even adopting a “McChrystal-Light” strategy — the Obama administration should begin a phased withdrawal of troops over the next 18 months, retaining only a small military footprint relying on special forces personnel. Otherwise, America will be entangled for years — or decades — in pursuit of unattainable goals. We need to “define success down” in Afghanistan. That means abandoning any notion of transforming ethn... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879392 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:15:18 +0100 2879392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879393&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfNHYTd3LBes%2F Worse choices have been made than Barack Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize. There was Woodrow Wilson in 1919, an award that rates as one of history’s more grotesque international jokes. Wilson promised to keep us out of war and promptly got us into it, meanwhile laying the ideological and geopolitical foundations for 90 years of war-nationalism, war-liberalism, and war-socialism. To say nothing of saddling us with the terrible idea of world government. Among those who weren’t Nazis or communists, Wilson may have done more than any other individual to promote human suffering in the last hundred years. So yes, there have been worse choices. (Next to Wilson, I’d have to give Al Gore and Yasser Arafat both honorable mentions. We could go on, of course.) But still, Barack Obama?... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879393 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:15:34 +0100 2879393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876010&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfNHYTd3LBes%2F Worse choices have been made than Barack Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize. There was Woodrow Wilson in 1919, an award that rates as one of history’s more grotesque international jokes. Wilson promised to keep us out of war and promptly got us into it, meanwhile laying the ideological and geopolitical foundations for 90 years of war-nationalism, war-liberalism, and war-socialism. To say nothing of saddling us with the terrible idea of world government. Among those who weren’t Nazis or communists, Wilson may have done more than any other individual to promote human suffering in the last hundred years. So yes, there have been worse choices. (Next to Wilson, I’d have to give Al Gore and Yasser Arafat both honorable mentions. We could go on, of course.) But still, Barack Obama?... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876010 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:15:34 +0100 2876010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876023&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FB8yG0FYKSns%2F Hey Rajiv Chandrasekaran, what the heck happened back in March when Obama decided to send 17,000 more troops into Afghanistan and started telling everyone we needed a more expansive approach there? Everyone, save Vice President Biden’s national security adviser, agreed that the United States needed to mount a comprehensive counterinsurgency mission to defeat the Taliban… [...] To senior military commanders, the [implications were] unambiguous: U.S. and NATO forces would have to change the way they operated in Afghanistan. Instead of focusing on hunting and killing insurgents, the troops would have to concentrate on protecting the good Afghans from the bad ones. And to carry out such a counterinsurgency effort the way its doctrine prescribes, the military would almost certainly ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876023 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:04:25 +0100 2876023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871977&cid=t_106283_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2009%2F10%2F07%2Fchaos-theory-fun-games-with-gen-mcchrystal%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on AOL’s Politics Daily: Fun & Games With Gen. McChrystal. Posted in Politcal Cartoons Tagged: afghanistan, exit strategy, general mcchrystal, risk, surge, war (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871977 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:01:47 +0100 2871977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871566&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPHqs9wAj2mM%2F The United States has been in Afghanistan for eight years and the end of our engagement there is not in sight. In this new video, Cato foreign policy experts tackle myths associated with the war in Afghanistan and offer solutions to American involvement there. Watch: Ted Galen Carpenter and Malou Innocent are authors of a new paper, Escaping the Graveyard of Empires: A Strategy to Exit Afghanistan. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871566 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:28:32 +0100 2871566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871567&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOpM6i1EMF5A%2F Today marks the eighth anniversary of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Cato foreign policy experts have been following and analyzing the war since the beginning. Here’s a round up of their assessment thus far: Why we must narrow objectives in Afghanistan. Before implementing a new strategy, we must first define victory. Why the Afghanistan strategy does not require more troops. Once we have defined our objectives, we need to follow an exit strategy. Why Pakistan also plays a crucial role in this effort. In today’s podcast, foreign policy analyst Malou Innocent discusses the future of policy in the region. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871567 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:41:03 +0100 2871567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871570&cid=t_106283_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F7Nb5MHLP8HM%2F Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Washington, and Anatol Lieven, a professor at King’s College London, discuss in the Financial Times how we can exit the Afghan quagmire: The west should therefore pursue a political solution, open negotiations with the Taliban and offer a timetable for a phased withdrawal in return for a ceasefire. This should begin with the military pulling out of specific areas in return for Taliban guarantees not to attack western bases and Afghan authorities in those areas. If the Taliban refuses such terms, then military pressure should continue. The point should not be to eliminate the Taliban – which is impossible – but to persuade it to agree to a deal. Lodhi and Lieven’s argument echoes one that David Axe, Jason Reich, and I made yesterday o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871570 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:54:41 +0100 2871570