13 November 2009
'UN to Check Anti-Corruption Promises Kept', Reuters, 13 November 2009
EXCERPT: "Countries which promise to fight corruption will now have to prove they are doing it thanks to a new series of reports, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Friday. The U.N. wants to check whether the 142 countries which have signed its legally-binding Convention against Corruption are doing more than paying it lip service.'...
5,000 More European Troops Expected for Afghan War
13 November 2009
'', The Associated Press, 13 November 2009
EXCERPT: "Europe may send 5,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan, Britain's prime minister said Friday ? affirming support for the NATO mission as the Obama administration nears a decision on increasing American troop levels. The announcement came as the Taliban struck again in the capital. A suicide car bomber blasted a U.S. convoy...
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The Afghan Narcotics Industry: A Summary
13 November 2009
Anthony H. Cordesman, '', Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), 12 November 2009
EXCERPT: "Afghanistan has greatly increased its production of opium since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. In 2001 the national production of opium was negligible; however following 2001 it grew exponentially until it reached its peak in 2007, producing quantities of opium that far exceeded...
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End-State Afghanistan: A European Perspective
13 November 2009
Jo Coelmont, '', Royal Institute for International Relations - EGMONT, 12 November 2009
EXCERPT: "When in 2001 the international community launched its intervention in Afghanistan it could count on broad political support and the understanding of a large share of public opinion. Eight years later the initial optimist discourse has waned. Yet, defeatism, as it emerged a few years ago...
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