The inadvertent killing of Afghans by U.S. and NATO forces undermines the international community’s efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and has resulted in a decline in approval and support for international military forces in the country. While the U.S. is in its seventh year of intervention in Afghanistan, the insurgency continues to grow. From 2002 to 2006, insurgent-initiated attacks increased by 400 percent and deaths resulting from these attacks jumped by 800 percent.

The low number of g more...

'It has now been more that six years the start of the Afghan-Pakistan War, and serious questions still exist about the way in which the US, the UN, NATO/ISAF, and individual allied countries plan and analyze the war. The problems involved are partly disguised by the lack of transparency in official reporting. The Department of Defense has issued one meaningful unclassified report on progress in the war. ' View full report: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/ONIN-7GZREK/$file/CSIS_Jul08 more...

Columnist Conn Hallinan of Foreign Policy in Focus - argues that we must abandon our “story” about the Afghan conflict as a “good war.” In this new millennium, he says, there are no good wars. Read the full article with latest comments.

Since the events of September 11, 2001 and the development of the ‘war on terror’, western powers have cited international terrorism as the greatest threat facing the world. This has diverted attention and resources from other, more serious, likely causes of future conflict. The root causes of global insecurity must be addressed. Source: Id21

Eight actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated in May 2008, and four improved, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch, released this June.