David Rothkopf argues that, while the commentariet is distracted by Hillary Clinton's celebrity, the new secretary of state is "overseeing what may be the most profound changes in U.S. foreign policy in two decades -- a transformation that may render the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush mere side notes in a long transition to a meaningful post-Cold War worldview."

A wise man once said "we can't kill our way to victory" in Afghanistan.  And, I might add, we can't keep shooting behind a moving target either.  If you want to hit a moving target, you have to lead it.

One of my great frustrations in becoming more involved in the debate over Afghanistan policy and the utility of population-centric counter-insurgency (COIN) theory is how ruthlessly the pro-escalation side of the debate has sought to caricature the position of the skeptics.

Atlantic Council senior advisor Harlan Ullman published "Shock and Awe Redux" in the Outside View column, part of UPI's Emerging Threats analysis section.  Ullman, co-chairman of the group that coined "shock and awe," writes about how the concept should be updated and applied to the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Shuja Nawaz, director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council, published an op-ed in the newly-launched AfPak Channel at Foreign Policy.  The article, entitled "Misfire on attacks on Pakistani nukes!," is a compelling clarification and rebuttal of recent reports suggesting Pakistan is incapable of securing its nuclear assets. 

A foiled German terrorist plot against airports, military bases and off duty hangouts of American soldiers was motivated by Islamist zeal and hatred of American foreign policy, the group's leader has revealed. Their intent was to kill as many Americans as possible to punish us for an alleged "war against Islam."

The most ignored but arguably the most important factor militating against American success in Afghanistan is the dynamic of outside intervention in internal wars. The experience of foreign countries intervening in other people’s civil conflicts is, to put it mildly, dismal.

The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan is the latest senior official calling for additional resources for the effort there.  Meanwhile, the debate over whether NATO should continue its mission at all has taken off.

Arnaud de Borchgrave, member of the Atlantic Council and senior fellow at CSIS, published the op-ed " Pakistan nuke thefts foiled" in UPI's Emerging Threats section. While not denying reports that Pakistan's secret nuclear facilities have in the past been attacked by extremists, former President Pervez Musharraf and his successor Asif Ali Zardari have said repeatedly that the country's nuclear weapons are fully secured.

Atlantic Council senior advisor Harlan Ullman published "National security in the 21st century" in the Outside View column, part of UPI's Emerging Threats analysis section.  Ullman writes about the new security challenges facing National Security Advisor James Jones and how much the world has changed since predecessors Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski.