Bin Laden’s online legacy
The past few days have seen a flurry of prognostications on al-Qaeda and its future. While each argument spars over whether al-Qaeda is on the ropes or resurgent, they miss a vital segment of analysis…
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Afghanistan
Analysis and Comment (10)
Truth in war: what the ADF won’t tell us about Afghanistan
Barack Obama marked the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death with a surprise visit to Kabul this week. Obama promised to “finish the job” in Afghanistan, but seven were killed in Kabul just hours…
Afghan body part photos a grim reminder of how war has changed
Once again we are confronted with disturbing images coming out of a war zone, this time of American troops posing for trophy shots with the body parts of alleged Afghan suicide bombers, published by the…
Mission accomplished? Australia withdraws from Afghanistan early
Prime minister Julia Gillard today announced the revised timetable for the withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan.
Within 12 to 18 months the majority of Australian military forces will leave…
Bagram riots expose Afghanistan’s shifting allegiances to the masters of war
The only thing surprising about yesterday’s riots outside of Afghanistan’s Bagram air base is that these things don’t happen more often.
What is fascinating about Afghanistan is how its infrastructural…
POWs: does Australia meet its Geneva Convention obligations?
Recent media reports have called into question Australia’s adherence to the Geneva Convention during the early stages of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A key allegation is that Australia set up a system…
Afghanistan: what the Hotel Intercontinental attack means
The overnight attack by Taliban forces on Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel demonstrates the ability of the Islamist group to attack Afghan and Western targets in all areas of the country.
At least six Taliban…
The Afghanistan Drawdown: the South Korea or Vietnam model?
On Wednesday, absent the flight suit, President Obama gave his own version of George W. Bush’s “mission accomplished” speech.
His temporary escalation of 33,000 troops in Afghanistan had worked. A third…
The unwinnable war in Afghanistan
In an interview conducted in Kabul on Monday June 6, perhaps not coincidentally the 67th anniversary of the Normandy D-Day landings, the top US military commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus…
A moral case against the war in Afghanistan
When Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 he offered some reflections on just war theory and sought to justify, partly in its light, the war he inherited in Afghanistan.
He did not apply…
Research and News (1)
Australia could be out of Afghanistan in 12 months
Australia could end combat and training operations in Afghanistan and withdraw most of its troops by the middle of next year…