Top Features
Sustainable Security in Afghanistan
Report from Lawrence Korb, Caroline Wadhams, Colin Cookman, and Sean Duggan provides recommendations for a lasting security in Afghanistan.
Swords and Ploughshares
A report by Reuben Brigety presents the results of a simulation exercise to assess the impact of U.S. foreign assistance in Afghanistan.
Partnership for Progress
Report from Caroline Wadhams, Brian Katulis, Lawrence J. Korb, and Colin Cookman offers a new strategy for prosperity and stability in Pakistan and the region.Other South & Central Asia Features
June 24, 2009
Nuclear Security Cooperation Between the United States and Pakistan
A survey by Andrew J. Grotto and Michelle Hammer catalogues nuclear security cooperation between the United States and Pakistan from 2000 to 2009.
June 19, 2009
Slideshow: Pakistan's Internally Displaced People
This slideshow shows powerful images of Pakistan's refugees, telling a story of the issues they're facing and the violence that displaced them.
June 19, 2009
Interactive Map: Fighting Pushes Pakistanis from Their Homes and Threatens Further Instability
Pakistan’s displaced people deserve a close look this World Refugee Day—this interactive map shows how fighting has pushed Pakistan’s people from their homes.
June 11, 2009
Price of Success in Afghanistan: What Are the Stakes for the International Community?
The Century Foundation and the Center for American Progress held a luncheon roundtable on June 2, to discuss "The Price of Success in Afghanistan: What Are the Stakes for the International Community?"
May 28, 2009
Timeline: Militants Zero in on the Government
Interactive timeline shows that yesterday’s attack on Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence agency is another in a string of attacks by militants against the Pakistani government.
May 27, 2009
Meeting the Challenges in Pakistan
Lawrence J. Korb, Brian Katulis, and Colin Cookman report on the current situation in Pakistan and how to move U.S. strategy forward.
May 27, 2009
Video: Pakistan: Experts in the Field
Lawrence Korb, Brian Katulis, and Colin Cookman recently returned from a research trip to Pakistan, and this video chronicles what they found.
May 21, 2009
Building Long-Lasting Partnerships with Pakistan
CAP hosts a briefing with a diverse group of faith experts to explore areas where faith-based groups can help achieve sustainable peace in Pakistan.
May 19, 2009
The Security of Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal
During the last week of April, I visited four cities in Pakistan (Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi). The purpose of the trip was to discuss a December 2008 Center for American Progress report that I coauthored, Partnership for Progress: Advancing a New Strategy for Prosperity and Stability in Pakistan and the Region.
May 7, 2009
The Missing Piece in the Pakistan Puzzle
Brian Katulis writes for Middle East Progress on this week’s round of trilateral talks between the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
May 1, 2009
More Money and Counterinsurgency Training Alone Aren’t the Answer in Pakistan
Brian Katulis, back from Pakistan, offers analysis of Secretary Robert Gates’ proposal for a new Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund.
April 27, 2009
First Impressions from Pakistan
Lawrence Korb, Brian Katulis, and Colin Cookman deliver preliminary observations from their current trip to Pakistan.
April 24, 2009
Korb vs. vanden Heuvel
The Center for American Progress's Lawrence Korb debates Katrina vanden Heuvel, publisher of The Nation, for the website Rethink Afghanistan.
April 22, 2009
Interactive Map: Europe's Role in Afghanistan
NATO countries have pledged more troops and money for Afghanistan, but it remains to be seen whether this will signal improvements, writes Natalie Ondiak.
April 15, 2009
Lessons from Iraq: Using Aid Effectively in Afghanistan and Pakistan
CAP explores the lessons from Iraq and the challenges in Afghanistan with the special inspector generals who are leading reconstruction efforts in both countries.
April 6, 2009
The War That’s No Longer Forgotten
A panel of experts joined CAP to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and new strategies for achieving sustainable security in the region.
March 31, 2009
The Next Likely Step for Terror Networks Is More Attacks in the Heart of Pakistan
Terrorist attacks in Pakistan are likely to escalate, and stopping them will require intelligence, police work, and government's efforts, write Brian Katulis and Peter Juul.
March 30, 2009
Pakistan Requires a Sustainable Security Strategy
Brian Katulis discusses the current state of affairs in Pakistan and what the Obama administration can do to work politically, diplomatically, and economically in the country.
March 26, 2009
Seven Reasons Why We Need to Engage in Afghanistan
A sustained effort in Afghanistan is crucial to keeping the United States and its allies safe and to restoring stability to the entire region.
March 20, 2009
Weekly Round Up March 16 - 20, 2009
CAP focused this week on the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war, a growing crisis in Afghanistan, and turning the economy around.
March 12, 2009
Video: Sustainable Security in Action
Video documents a simulation where experts apply the sustainable security approach to foreign affairs to operations in Afghanistan.
March 9, 2009
Building Democracy in Afghanistan
At a CAP event on February 26, Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta focused on strategies to build democracy in Afghanistan.
March 6, 2009
Weekly Round Up: March 2 - 6, 2009
CAP provided analysis of equal rights events this week, produced an interactive map of air strikes in Pakistan, and continued its analysis of the recession.
March 5, 2009
Threats, Options, and Risks in Pakistan
U.S. Predator missile strikes in Pakistan have risen in the past year, writes Colin Cookman. But the question remains, how effective are they?
March 5, 2009
Interactive Map: U.S. Airstrikes in Pakistan on the Rise
Interactive map shows an increase in U.S. airstrikes in Pakistan, many of which have been targeted at key members of Al Qaeda.
February 23, 2009
The Public Supports U.S. Involvement in Afghanistan
Maintaining public support for operations in Afghanistan will be critical to the Obama administration’s success, writes Ruy Teixeira.
February 11, 2009
Pakistan is Closer Than You Think
Now that the inaugural celebrations are over, we’ve moved into that difficult phase of the presidency called governing. To say that President Barack Obama faces unprecedented challenges is practically an understatement. At the very least, he faces greater challenges than any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt. On the international front alone, he must grapple with wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a global financial meltdown, a sullied American reputation, an explosive situation in the Middle East, an aggressive Russia and a defiant Iran. And those are only a few of the more urgent items.
October 24, 2008
The contributions of Iran
FEW COUNTRIES were as helpful to the United States in its early involvement in Afghanistan as Iran. Yet after the fall of the Taliban, the US failed to capitalize on the possibilities of that strategic relationship. Now coalition and Afghan troops are losing ground against the same insurgents they confronted in 2001, in a war that the United States is unlikely to win unless it rethinks its relationship with Iran.
October 9, 2008
A “Downward Spiral” in Afghanistan
National Intelligence Estimate warns of “downward spiral” and other problems in Afghanistan, write Caroline Wadhams, Colin Cookman, and Jenny Shin.
September 24, 2008
A New Policy Toward Pakistan
The United States must overhaul its approach toward Pakistan, writes CAPAF Senior Fellow Brian Katulis.
September 23, 2008
The Perils in Pakistan
Caroline Wadhams weighs in on the Marriott hotel bombing in Islamabad and why the United States needs to be concerned about Pakistan's security.
August 21, 2008
U.S. Aid to Pakistan by the Numbers
The United States’ almost exclusive military assistance to Pakistan has not made the country safer or made progress in the war on terror.
August 21, 2008
America's Post-Musharraf Policy
Rather than forge personal relationships with individual leaders, the United States should make its pact with the Pakistani people, writes Brian Katulis.
August 20, 2008
Exit Musharraf
Brian Katulis debates Jacob Heilbrunn on Pakistan on blogging heads TV.
August 19, 2008
Reckless Management of U.S. Interests in the Caucasus
Scott Lilly raises questions about the U.S. role in the escalation of conflict in Georgia.
August 18, 2008
Musharraf’s Resignation Creates an Opening for U.S. Policy
President Musharraf’s resignation provides an opportunity for the United States to shift policy toward Pakistan, write Caroline Wadhams and Brian Katulis.
August 14, 2008
U.S. Aid to Afghanistan by the Numbers
While the United States has a history of helping Afghanistan fight, it hasn’t done much to help its people deal with the aftermath of wars.
July 30, 2008
Crisis in Waiting
The warning signs are growing that Pakistan is probably the crisis that will test the leadership of the next administration, writes Brian Katulis.
July 28, 2008
Bush Meets With Pakistan's Leader
President Bush has met with Pakistani Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani. The two leaders' brief public remarks were cordial, but analysts say the private conversations most likely centered on the need for Pakistan to intensify the fight against extremists.
July 18, 2008
Forgotten No Longer
New signs of deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan are appearing every day. The insurgents aren’t going away, things aren’t getting better, and it’s time to pay attention.
July 4, 2008
Alarm Bells in Afghanistan
The forgotten war in Afghanistan has once again leapt back into the news with disturbing reports of rising international casualties and large-scale Taliban offensives in the south.
June 27, 2008
Where Did the Money Go? Oversight Lacking in Aid to Pakistan
Lax oversight of military aid to Pakistan points to lack of long-term planning in the fight against Al Qaeda.
June 26, 2008
The Country Most Likely to Trigger 3 a.m. Calls
Brian Katulis narrates a video from his travels in Pakistan and explains what the next president can learn from President Bush's approach to Pakistan.
June 11, 2008
Afghanistan Needs More Than Money
The upcoming International Conference in Support of Afghanistan represents an opportunity to renew U.S. commitments to the country.
June 10, 2008
Strengthening the Rule of Law in Afghanistan
A House committee hearing on oversight of U.S. efforts to train and equip Afghan police calls for suggestions on the best way to improve law enforcement in the country.
May 29, 2008
Time to focus on Pakistan
US intelligence officials agree Al Qaeda has found a safe haven in Pakistan, yet US politicians remain preoccupied with Iraq and Iran.
May 5, 2008
What to Do About the Terrorist Safe Haven in Pakistan
What are the Federally Administered Tribal Areas? Why should we be concerned about them? And what can we do about them?
April 29, 2008
Dealing with Militants
This past weekend's assassination attempt on Afghan president Hamid Karzai, along with ongoing negotiations between the Pakistani government and elements of the Taliban, should move the focus on America's national security debate away from Iraq. But it is not likely to have much of an impact - in large part because of the misplaced priorities of the Bush administration. America's national security debate remains fixated on Iraq, a policy costing US taxpayers upwards of $10bn a month and diverting attention away from other national security priorities.
April 28, 2008
Issue Pulse: Too Few Resources, Too Many Battles
Expert consensus is that continued strain from fighting two wars is keeping the United States from accomplishing goals in Afghanistan.
April 23, 2008