Online Resources »

Down, But Not Out

Bruce Riedel and Aysha Chowdhry, Research Analyst/Publications Manager, Foreign Policy, U.S. Relations with the Islamic World write in an article that originally appeared in The National Interest about the current capabilities of Pakistan's Taliban.

Q&A With Kim Barker on Afghanistan

Kim Barker, Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, answers Foreign Affairs reader questions about the conflict in Afghanistan and the Obama administration's plans to send more U.S. troops to the region.

The Soviet Victory That Never Was

Nikolas Gvosdev writes in Foreign Affairs about how the Soviet Union came closer than many think to achieving its objectives in Afghanistan. He examines how the USSR almost managed to win -- and why it ultimately did not -- and what lessons this should pose for U.S. policymakers today.

view all »

Quizzes »

Great Decisions 2009 Fall Quiz - Afghanistan and Pakistan

Test your knowledge of recent news on Afghanistan and Pakistan by taking a quiz based on the Great Decisions 2009 Fall Updates!

Great Decisions 2009 Spring Quiz Series - Afghanistan and Pakistan

Online topic quizzes are an ideal test of readers' knowledge of the Great Decisions 2009 articles and Spring Updates.

Great Decisions 2009 Winter Quiz Series - Afghanistan and Pakistan

Online topic quizzes are an ideal test of readers' knowledge of the Great Decisions 2009 articles.

In the Classroom »

The U.S. Role in a Changing World

The Choices Program offers a revised lesson plan for "The U.S. Role in a Changing World" to engage students in consideration of the range of issues on the U.S. agenda. The updated curriculum unit devotes additional attention to U.S. military security since the Cold War.

U.S. Policy in Afghanistan

The Choices program offers a two-day lesson that allows students to debate three possible options for U.S. policy in Afghanistan and articulate their own views on the issue.

American Councils for International Education

American Councils for International Education administers a variety of cultural exchange, study abroad, and research programs on behalf of both public and private funders. Participation in these programs is through an open, merit-based competition, and facilitates mutual understanding between the United States and Eurasia, Southeast Europe, and South Asia.

view all »

Recommended Readings »

Great Decisions 2009 French Language Edition [Download or Print]

In partnership with Alliance Francaise USA, FPA presents the French language edition of the Great Decisions 2009 briefing book which features impartial, thought-provoking analyses on four issues of concern to U.S. policymakers today and that represent our foreign policy challenges of tomorrow.

Kabul 24

In this harrowing retelling, Person and Arnold revisit the capture of 24 aid workers by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001 and chronicle the three months they spent in detainment as the Taliban and Osama bin Laden attempted to use their Western hostages as bargaining tools amid the growing specter of U.S. retaliation for the 9/11 attacks.

To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan

In To Live or to Perish Forever, Nicholas Schmidle takes readers to Pakistan's rioting streets, to Taliban camps in the North-West Frontier Province, and on many surprising adventures as he provides a contemporary history of this country long riven by internal conflict. Schmidle narrates what was arguably the most turbulent period of Pakistan's recent history, a time when President Pervez Musharraf lost his power and the Taliban found theirs, and when Americans began to realize that Pakistan's fate is inextricably linked with our own.

view all »

Program Materials

Great Decisions 2009

Order your copy of the Great Decisions 2009 briefing book today! Great Decisions 2009 features impartial, thought-provoking analyses on eight issues of concern to U.S. policymakers today and that represent our foreign policy challenges of tomorrow.

Featured topics: U.S. & rising global powers, Afghanistan/Pakistan, energy & the global economy, the Arctic, U.S. & Egypt, global food supply, Cuba after Castro, and universal human rights. ($18, plus S&H)