The front-line fighters in the battle for hearts and minds in Afghanistan are in the American and coalition Provincial Reconstruction Teams.

Afghanistan's election watchdog disqualified 19 winning candidates for alleged fraud, adding to a string of controversies that have undermined the legitimacy of the parliamentary elections and have delayed the vote results for two months.

President Obama's timeline for a withdrawal from Afghanistan appears to be wishful thinking, as rising violence and widespread fraud threaten Saturday's Afghan elections and the stability of the country.

Our principal recommendation is that the United States and its allies should continue the strategy now being executed, which is the only approach that can secure the vital national security interests in Afghanistan.

An accelerated growth plan for Afghan national forces if very likely to allow coalition forces, including American reinforcements, to begin reducing their footprint without compromising their gains.

InAfghanistan,victorydepends not just on the dispatch of bullets and ballots, but on the emergence of state institutions that are perceived as more or less legitimate, just, and honest.

Multilateralism in Afghanistan, especially when it comes to security, is often more cosmetic than real.

For many superstitious Afghans, it's no coincidence that the coming of democracy coincides with the end of the drought; it's proof, despite winter's bitter hardships, of a better future.