U.S. Shift In Afghan Antidrug Policy Wins Mixed Reviews 

U.S. regional envoy Richard Holbrooke recently announced that Washington will move away from emphasizing the eradication of opium poppy to stem drug production in Afghanistan, and will instead focus on stopping trafficking, enforcing drug laws, and substituting crops. But officials in Kabul are skeptical about the potential success of this strategy. More

Election Environment Improving, But Major Obstacles Remain 

Experts on Afghanistan came together this week at the Asia Society to discuss possible outcomes for the country's presidential election, which is scheduled for August 20. The election is viewed as a critical test of Afghanistan's fledgling democracy. Will the vote represent another step toward a stable, democratic, and peaceful Afghanistan, or a return to armed conflict over political succession? The credibility of the election process will determine how this scenario unfolds. More

What McChrystal Learned From Afghan 'Listening Tour' 

U.S. General Stanley McChrystal recently assumed his position as the commander of both the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and all the U.S. forces in Afghanistan. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent Hamid Mohmand, he said that the "fight is for the Afghan people, it's not with the Afghan people." More

Interview: 'Splitting Hairs Won't Help: We Are At War' 

The death toll is rising for German troops in Afghanistan. A battle with militants this week left three more soldiers dead, raising the total to 35. The mounting body count has prompted many Germans to question their country's "networked security approach," which is meant to favor civil projects over military might. Germans are asking, "Are we actually at war?" For answers, RFE/RL's Bernd Volkert spoke to Hening Riecke, an expert on German foreign and defense policy at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. More

Afghan Presidential Campaign Under Way, Underwhelmingly 

The campaign for Afghanistan's August 20 presidential election is gathering momentum in Kabul. Election posters for incumbent President Hamid Karzai and his 40 challengers compete for space and attention on the city’s walls and lamp posts. But some in Kabul are calling for a delay in the election as concern mounts about what is happening -- or not happening -- in the country's south and east. More