Voice of America

US President Barack Obama announced he is withdrawing 10,000 US troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year and will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by the middle of next year. In a nationally televised address, the president said is he able to make the withdrawals because the United States and its allies are meeting their goals in Afghanistan.

He said the withdrawal will begin in July. He said that by 2014, the process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security...

More:

Text of Obama's Speech on Afghanistan - AP

Obama Orders Troop Cuts in Afghanistan - NYT

Obama: Time for 'Nation Building' at Home - WP

Obama: Time to Withdraw Troops - WT

Obama Calls for Faster Troop Cuts in Afghanistan - LAT

Obama: 30,000-plus Surge Troops Leaving Afghanistan - AP

Obama Orders Withdrawal of 33,000 Troops - BBC

Obama Sets Plan to Start US Exit From Afghanistan - Reuters

Obama Declares Beginning of End of Afghan War - AFP

Obama Details Plan to Withdraw US Troops from Afghanistan - CSM

Obama to Withdraw 33,000 Troops from Afghanistan by 2012 - DT

Obama Announces US Troop Withdrawals from Afghanistan - USAT

Beginning of the End of the Afghanistan War - CBS

Drawdown Troops, Step Up Diplomacy in Afghanistan - Bloomberg

Obama's Tough Balancing Act - WSJ

Obama to Send Surge Troops Home by Sept 2012 - Politico

Drawdown in Afghanistan will Shift Tactics in War - WP

2012 Troop Pullback Worries Military Experts - NYT

Strategy Changes will Test US Forces - WP

Troop Cuts Herald Shift in US Approach - AP

NATO Allies Have a Head Start on Afghan Withdrawal - NYT

NATO Welcomes Obama's Afghan Plan - AP

French Troops to Progressively Leave Afghanistan - AP

Germany Welcomes Obama's Afghan Plan - AP

PM Says Australian Troops to Stay in Afghanistan - AP

Is the Afghan Army Ready for US Withdrawal? - BBC

Fears Abound Over Toll on Afghan Economy - NYT

US Troop Cut May Also Bring Risky Cuts in Afghan Aid - Reuters

Karzai: Afghan Youth to Lead as US Troops Go - AP

Drawing Down, With a Vigilant Eye on Pakistan - NYT

Obama's Afghanistan Drawdown Has Bipartisan Backing - USAT

As Politics of War Shift, Risks for Obama Ease - NYT

The Way Out? - NYT editorial

Obama May be Sabotaging his Own Strategy - WP editorial

Withdrawals Don't Solve Weaknesses Afghan Strategy - BG editorial

US Troop Drawdown and the Future of the Mission - Brookings opinion

Political Calculation Rather than Military Judgment - DT opinion

Strategic Drawdown or Rush for the Door? - TG opinion

Obama: The Postwar Era Begins Now - WP opinion

A Pivot Point in Afghanistan - LAT opinion

The Real Question: How to Achieve Afghanization - CNN opinion

Decisiveness in Obama's Afghanistan Speech - WP opinion

Afghanistan

Obama's Task: Keep Support for Afghan War - WP

Obama Likely to Cut 10K Troops from Afghanistan - AP

Obama's Afghan Plan to Start With 5,000-Troop Cut - Reuters

Obama to Announce Afghanistan Troop Decision - BBC

US Diplomats Worry About Shift to Afghan Govt Control - WP

Gen. Allen Headed to Afghanistan Ahead of Schedule - NYT

From Feared Taliban to Peace Promoter - WP

For Marines, Power Struggle Around Dam in Afghanistan - S&S

US, Afghan Forces Struggle to Hold Remote Combat Outpost - USAT

Taliban Waits Out Obama - WT editorial

Staying the Course in Afghanistan - LAT opinion

Pakistan

Poll Affirms Grim Views of US in Pakistan - NYT

Poll: Most Pakistanis Disapprove of Bin Laden's Killing - VOA

Poll: Most Pakistanis Think bin Laden's Death Bad - VOA

Pakistan Investigates General for Links to Banned Group - VOA

Pakistan Detains Officer on Suspicion of Militant Ties - NYT

Army Officer Arrested on Suspicion of Ties to Militant Group - WP

Pakistan Holds Army Officer 'for Militant Links' - BBC

Pakistan Army Officer Held on Extremism Suspicions - AP

Pakistani Activist Urges Civilians to Challenge Army - Reuters

Officials: 13 Die in Clash, Bomb in NW Pakistan - AP

Syria

Thousands Turn Out for Assad - NYT

Syrian Regime's Backers Take a Turn at Protest - WSJ

Syrian Protesters Say they Continue to be Attacked - LAT

At Least 7 Dead in Continuing Syrian Protests - VOA

Syria Unrest: Clashes Amid Large Pro-Assad Rallies - BBC News

7 Killed in Syria as Protests Turn Violent - AP

Libya

Libya War-Funding Fight Escalates - WSJ

US Mission Exposes Divisions in Congress and Within GOP - NYT

In Congress, Divisions over Libya - LAT

Pressure Mounts on NATO as Drone Helicopter Goes Missing - VOA

NATO Loses Drone Helicopter - BBC

Drone Copter is NATO's First Combat Casualty in Libya - Wired

Gaddafi Rockets Dent Sense of Security in Misrata - Reuters

UK's Cameron Insists Military Backs Libya Mission - AP

China, Libyan Rebels Hold More Talks - VOA

A Rebel From Libya Is Greeted In Beijing - NYT

Yemen

Yemen Says Steps Up Fight Against Islamists - Reuters

Yemeni Tribal Chief: Saleh Return Could Spark War - AP

Officials: 40 Al-Qaida Militants Escape Yemen Jail - AP

Ethiopians Evacuated from Yemen - BBC

Israel / Palestinians

Israel to Allow Building Cargo to Enter Gaza - NYT

Israel Allows New Palestinian Housing in Gaza - AP

Media: Israel Sends Hopeful Letter to Turkey - AP

Turkey, Hamas Leader Discuss Palestinian Unity - AP

Israeli Soldier's Gaza Captivity Nears 5-Year Mark - Reuters

Israel Urges Apple to Remove Pro-Palestinian App - AP

Iraq

Violence Intensifies as Talks Continue on US Troop Presence - WP

Attack in Iraq Kills Dozens Near House Of Governor - NYT

Deadly Bombings Hit Central Iraq - BBC

Iran

Ahmadinejad Fails to Place Supporters in Key Posts - WP

Saudi Suggests 'Squeezing' Iran Over Nuclear Ambitions - WSJ

Iran Says US Hikers to Be Tried on July 31 - Reuters

Middle East / North Africa

Clinton Adds Her Voice in Support of Saudi Women - NYT

Clinton Backs 'Brave' Saudi Women - BBC

Bahrain Sentences 8 Shiite Activists to Life - AP

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Expels Presidential Hopeful - Reuters

Officials: 2 Egyptian Policemen Killed in Sinai - AP

Ex-Tunisian President Scorns His Trial as Parody - AP

Latest Developments in Arab World's Unrest - AP

Avoid a Summer of Blood - WP opinion

Al Qaeda

Al-Qaida's Business Savvy Sows Uncertain Future - VOA

Can a California Salvage Diver Recover bin Laden's Body? - Time

US Department of Defense

Panetta Confirmed as Defense Secretary - LAT

Senate Approves Panetta as Pentagon Chief - AP

For Soldiers, Death Sees No Gender Lines - NYT

United States

Sagging Economy Draws Attention to War Spending - NYT

Top-secret Clearance Checks Falsified - WT

Americans See Army, Marines as Most Important to Defense - Gallup

More than 2,400 Convicted Aliens Rounded Up - WT

The Place for Terrorists - WP opinion

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Wins 2nd Term - VOA

Ban Ki-moon Wins Second UN Term - BBC

Ban Ki-Moon Gets Second Term as UN Chief - AP

UN Mulls Piracy Courts - VOA

Africa

Sudan: Kordofan Conflict Catches Thousands, Says AU - BBC

UN: South Sudan Should Halve Army After Independence - Reuters

Nigerian Bank and Police Station Attacked in Katsina - BBC

Home-Grown Frustration Behind Nigeria Bombing - Reuters

Corruption Probe for Ivory Coast's Gbagbo May Last 2 Years - Reuters

Americas

A Neglected Frontier in Southern Mexico - WP

Leading Mexico Drug Gang Suspect Arrested - LAT

Mexican Police Arrest Leader of Crime Gang - NYT

Mexico Nabs Leader of Cult-Like La Familia Cartel - AP

'La Familia Cartel Boss' Mendez Vargas Held in Mexico - BBC

Mexican Gang Moves Into Guatemala - WSJ

No US Pledges Expected at CentAm Drug Meeting - AP

Fuerzas Comando Promotes Special Ops Skills - AFPS

Argentina's Fernandez Favored in Re-election Bid - AP

Haitian Lawmakers Reject Leader's Pick for PM - AP

Asia Pacific

US, Japan Moving Forward, but No Hard Deadline for Futenma - S&S

Okinawa Row: Japan and US Drop Futenma Airbase Deadline - BBC

Japan Plans to Unlink Nuclear Agency From Government - NYT

Gates: U.S. Committed to Robust Presence in East Asia - AFPS

China Warns Vietnam of Possible Military Response in South China Sea - VOA

US Urges Negotiation in South China Sea Disputes - AFPS

China Urges US to Stay Out of Sea Dispute - Reuters

Manila: US Obliged to Defend Filipinos in Spratlys - AP

Philippine Troops Capture 2 Abu Sayyaf Suspects - AP

China: North Korea Mulling Initiatives for Economic Reform - Reuters

Europe

Greek PM Survives Confidence Vote - BBC

Greek Parliament Passes Critical Confidence Vote - NYT

Vote of Confidence in Greece - WP

Italy's Berlusconi Wins Vote on Stimulus - BBC

Norway Questions NYC Subway Plotters - AP

US Charges Gunman in Germany Shootings - Reuters

French, Russian, UK Sailors in Norfolk for Training - VP

Second Night of Belfast Rioting - BBC

N. Ireland Police Face Fresh Riots in Belfast - AP

UK Police Make Arrest in Hacking Attacks - AP

South Asia

India, Pakistan Aim to Nudge Peace Process - Reuters

India Puts Security, Trade With Burma Ahead of Democracy - VOA

The Paradoxical Impact of Force and Resource Constraints

This is a post that I never would have written while practicing the art in Iraq. On the ground level, every commander wants more forces. In fact, one of the unstated prerequisites for command is that you must conduct at least one daily bitching session where you emphatically describe how much more effective you could be if you were given another platoon, company, battalion, etc...

- More forces equal more villages and more neighborhoods you can clear and occupy.

- More forces equal more visible power and control.

- More resources equal more money to bribe your enemies.

But, sometimes more is actually less:

- More forces mean that you can act unilaterally and just ignore the impotent host nation security forces.

- More forces mean that you can coerce and bully the corrupt political leaders.

- More resources mean that you may waste money building elaborate schools and medical clinics and digging canals rather than repairing the existing suitable structures.

Sometimes with more, we merely attack the symptoms creating short-term visible gains rather than attacking the root problems. Doctrinally, we would call this creating maneuver space on the human and physical terrain.

On the other hand, one of the strangest phenomena studying foreign intervention in small wars is to examine what happens when the intervention force is constrained by force size and resources. In this case, the commanders are forced to adapt, and the result is often a period of deep-reflection, ingenuity, and creativity.

The most notable modern successes are El Salvador, Colombia, and the Philippines. In these cases, Special Forces were forced to adopt a "by, with, and through" mentality. They had to work with the security forces and political leaders. They could not bypass. As some of the evidence in both Iraq and Afghanistan would suggest, left unconstrained, Special Forces would prefer to act unilaterally choosing direct action over advising; however, in these case studies, they were forced by the US Congress and the State Department to act indirectly.

In the long run, less appears to offer more. Are these lessons to be considered for Iraq and Afghanistan as we face drawdowns? Perhaps. I'll let y'all decide.

Afghanistan

Obama to Announce Afghan Withdraw Plans Wednesday - VOA

Obama to Announce Plans for Afghan Surge Pullout - NYT

Obama to Announce Withdrawal Plans Wednesday - WP

Obama Expected to Announce Major Afghan Drawdown - LAT

Barack Obama 'Nears Afghanistan Troop Decision' - BBC

Obama to Move US Closer to Leaving Afghanistan - AP

Marines Team Up with Afghan 'Neighborhood Watch with Guns' - NPR

Future Marine Flight Students Commanding Grunts - MCT

Mass Killers First to be Hanged by Karzai Government - WP

Failed Suicide Attack on Afghan Governor Kills 1 - AP

Afghanistan Complains to Pakistan over Cross-border Shelling - Reuters

ISAF Operations Roundup - AFPS

Afghan Row with IMF over Failed Bank Threatens Salaries - BBC

Goodbye, Afghanistan - WP opinion

Smart Power Setback - NYT opinion

Pakistan

Police: Pakistani Girl Forced to Wear Suicide Vest - AP

Militants Attack anti-Taliban Elders - BBC

Syria

Embattled Syrian President Blames 'Saboteurs' for Uprisings - VOA

Assad Blames Protests on 'Saboteurs' - WP

Assad Offers Path to Change in Syria, but Few Specifics - NYT

President Bashar al-Assad Keeps to Hard Line - BBC

Syrian Protesters Fill Streets after President's Speech - LAT

Syria Forces Sweep Aleppo as Assad Promises Reform - Reuters

Syria President Vows Reform, Critics Shout 'Liar!' - AP

Thousands of Syrian in Pro-Assad Rallies - AP

Surge of Syrian Refugees Tests Ties with Turkey - WT

'Disappointed' EU Prepares to Expand Syria Sanctions - Reuters

Libya

RAF Chief Sir Simon Bryant in Warning over Libya - BBC

House will Try to Cut Off Funding for Libya Mission - Politico

NATO Confirms Libyan Claim of New Airstrike - VOA

Libyan Officials Accuse NATO of Killing 15 Noncombatants - WP

Libyan Media Minders Nervous After Guard Death - NYT

China Welcomes Opposition Figure Mahmud Jibril - BBC

Obama's Novel Definition of 'Hostilities' - WP opinion

Say What You Will, It's a War in Libya - LAT opinion

Legal Acrobatics, Illegal War - NYT opinion

Libya and America's Commitment Problem - LAT opinion

Iraq

Iraqis Hold First Talks on Keeping US Troops - AP

22 Killed in Suicide Car Bombings South of Baghdad - AP

Bombs Kill 21 at Local Iraqi Governor's House - Reuters

Deadly Bombings hit Diwaniya, Central Iraq - BBC

KBR Worker Says She was Drugged and Raped in Iraq - AP

Iran

Iran: Ahmadinejad's Inner Circle Under Pressure - WP

Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Pressure - AP

Iran's Nuke Chief Critiques IAEA - AP

Iran Sets Hearing Date for American Hikers - VOA

Iran Sets New Date for Hearing of American Hikers - AP

Middle East / North Africa

Protests Aside, Yemen's Leader Has His Followers - NYT

Ex-Tunisian President Found Guilty, in Absentia - NYT

Tunisia's Ben Ali Sentenced to Jail in Absentia - BBC

Tunisia's Ousted President Says He Was Tricked Into Leaving - VOA

Moroccan Trade Union Urges Reform Vote Boycott - Reuters

Latest Developments in Arab World's Unrest - AP

Morocco's Reform Model - WP editorial

Disoriented in Dubai - WP opinion

US Department of Defense

Dempsey Says Shorten Army Combat Tours to 9 Months - NYT

GAO Report Says Pentagon Must Bolster Cyber Workforce - AP

Pentagon Sharing Intelligence on Cyberthreats - WT

Center Works to Optimize Warfighters' Performance - AFPS

Obama to Visit Troops at NY's Fort Drum Thursday - AP

Sailors Cruise Through the Ranks Faster than Airmen - AFT

Gates: The Defense Rests - Newsweek

United States

House Defense Earmarks Morph into 'Programmatic Requests' - WP

Lynn: Spending Slowdown Must Preserve Industrial Base - AFPS

ATF Director to Resign, Agency Sources Say - LAT

Murder Rate and Fear Rise in Puerto Rico - NYT

Connecticut Man Accused of Phony Veteran Scam - AP

United Nations

Nuclear Watchdog Wants New Safety Checks after Fukushima - BBC

Africa

West Africa Drugs Trafficking 'Increasingly Sophisticated' - BBC

As Secession Nears, Sudan Steps Up Drive to Stop Rebels - NYT

Sudanese Parties Sign Abyei Border Deal - VOA

Sudan's Abyei: 'All Forces to Withdraw' - BBC

US Urges Swift Implementation of Sudan Abyei Deal - Reuters

Nigeria's Boko Haram Threatens Broader Attacks - VOA

Nigerian Boko Haram Islamists 'Kill Nurse' - BBC

US First Lady Brings Message of Youth Power to Africa - VOA

Americas

Gunmen in Mexico Kill Crime Journalist Velasco, Wife, Son - BBC

Mexico: Freed Former Tijuana Mayor Says No Hard Feelings - AP

Inmates Stave Off Troops at Venezuelan Prison - AP

France 'Preparing' Manuel Noriega Extradition to Panama - BBC

Task Force Delivers 'Human Message' To Haiti - AFPS

Asia Pacific

US, Japan May Announce Readjustment in Relocation Timeline - AFPS

US, Japan will Delay Futenma Relocation Plan - S&S

Singapore Urges Beijing to Spell Out China Sea Claims - VOA

Vietnam, China Hold Joint Naval Patrol Amid Spat - AP

Taiwan Holds Computer Simulation of Chinese Attack - AP

North Korea 'Buys Anti-riot Gear from China' - BBC

Conflict in Cambodia Court as Pol Pot Henchmen Face Trial - Reuters

Europe

IMF Slams European Leaders on Crisis - WP

New Hurdle Is Placed for Loan to Greece - NYT

Europe Delays $17-billion Payment to Greece - LAT

Greek Government to Face Key Vote - BBC

Terror Suspect Extradited to Germany - AP

Germany Debates New Life for a Behemoth of the Nazi Era - NYT

Italy's Berlusconi Faces Test in Parliament - Reuters

Sectarian Clashes Flare in Belfast - AP

South Asia

India-Pakistan Talks to Focus on Terrorism - VOA

By Dan Robinson

Voice of America

The White House says President Barack Obama will announce his decision on the size and pace of a U.S. troop drawdown in Afghanistan on Wednesday. It will come amid intensified national war-weariness and concern about the lives lost, and strains on the U.S. economy.

At Arlington National Cemetery this past Memorial Day, President Obama, after laying a wreath at the Tomb of Unknowns, stopped at Section 60, containing graves of U.S. troops killed most recently in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It was a reminder of the grim backdrop to the decision on how many of the 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to begin withdrawing in July.

Mr. Obama announced the July start for the withdrawal when he presented his overall strategy for Afghanistan in December 2009.

Even as the president and military commanders point to successes in pushing back Taliban control in key areas, military commanders are worried about climbing casualty figures.

Like other presidents who have directed unpopular wars, Mr. Obama has has no shortage of advice from members of Congress.

Democrat John Kerry, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, "While the United States has genuine national security interests in Afghanistan, our current commitment, in troops and in dollars, is neither proportional to our interests or sustainable in my judgment."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham last week called the current U.S. and NATO model in Afghanistan "the ticket home" for U.S. troops.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" program, he cautioned against any accelerated U.S. withdrawal despite rising anti-war sentiment in the U.S. Congress. "If we accelerate withdrawal right now because we are war weary, we're going to lose this war," he said.

Another Republican, Senator Richard Lugar, urges Mr. Obama to provide Americans with a new overall plan that includes a definition of success. "The more important question is whether we have an efficient strategy for protecting our vital interests that does not involve massive open-ended expenditures and does not require us to have more faith than is justified in Afghan institutions," he said.

President Obama's decision comes amid intensifying public dissatisfaction with the Afghanistan war.

In Baltimore, Maryland, the U.S. Conference of Mayors approved a resolution urging that billions in monthly war costs be directed to needs at home.

At the Pentagon recently, outgoing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates addressed the question of Americans' impatience. "This unhappiness, and certainly the war weariness after a decade, rests heavily on all of us, I think. And the key is how do we complete our mission, as we have largely done in Iraq, in a way that protects American national security interests and the American people and contributes to stability," he said.

Besides incoming defense secretary Leon Panetta, civilian and military leaders who will implement President Obama's decision are to be in place soon.

They include Marine Lieutenant General John Allen, the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, along with Ryan Crocker, the new U.S. ambassador in Kabul.

Understanding how insurgencies may be brought to a successful conclusion is vital to military strategists and policymakers. This study examines how past insurgencies have ended and how current ones may be resolved. Four ways in which insurgencies have ended are identified. Clear-cut victories for either the government or the insurgents occurred during the era of decolonization, but they seldom happen today. Recent insurgencies have often degenerated into criminal organizations that become committed to making money rather than fighting a revolution, or they evolve into terrorist groups capable of nothing more than sporadic violence. In a few cases, the threatened government has resolved the conflict by co-opting the insurgents. After achieving a strategic stalemate and persuading the belligerents that they have nothing to gain from continued fighting, these governments have drawn the insurgents into the legitimate political process through reform and concessions. The author concludes that such a co-option strategy offers the best hope of U.S. success in Afghanistan and in future counterinsurgency campaigns.

Read the full monograph: Resolving Insurgencies.