The Foreign Service Journal, December 2006

call by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer for a “radical over- haul” of policy in Afghanistan have once again put the spotlight on this critical front in the Bush administra- tion’s war on terrorism. NATO took over command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghani- stan over the summer ( http://www. jfcbs.nato.int/ISAF/index.htm ). De Hoop Scheffer laid out the need for a strategy change at a Nov. 2 meeting in Brussels, where for the first time major donors — namely the U.N., the World Bank and the European Union— sat down with the military alliance to coordinate assis- tance activities ( www.iht.com/arti cles/2006/11/05/news/nato.php ). A well-functioning Afghan police force and judiciary are essential for NATO, De Hoop Scheffer states. He wants the military alliance to concen- trate on training the Afghan army, and have the E.U. take over entirely the training of police forces. There is no military solution, per se, De Hoop Scheffer stresses; coordination bet- ween the reconstruction side and the military side is essential. In early October, ISAF Comman- der British Lieutenant General David Richards had sounded the alarm, warning that without visible improve- ments in the daily lives of ordinary Afghans in the next six months, up to 70 percent of Afghans could shift their allegiance to the Taliban-led insurgency that is steadily gaining ground in the south and east ( www. eurasianet.org/departments/insi ght/articles/pp101406.shtml ). A new report from the Inter- national Crisis Group titled “Counter- ing Afghanistan’s Insurgency: No Quick Fixes” pinpoints the issues: a resurgent Taliban and other anti-gov- ernment elements from previous eras; a crisis of government legitimacy; constantly expanding drug production and trade; and failure to meet popular expectations of development and improved lives (see the full report at www.crisisgroup.org ). The group urges a rethinking of policies by both the Karzai govern- ment — whose writ remains for the most part confined to Kabul — and its Western backers and advocates, in particular, a substantial increase in international forces deployed to the battle zones. The ICG also warns that without putting real, sustained diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to reverse policies that feed extremism, it will be impossible to stabilize Af- ghanistan. There are several online resources that are useful in following develop- ments and policy in Afghanistan. The ICG monitors the country, and the Afghanistan page of the organization’s Web site contains links to other help- ful sites, crucial documents and stud- ies, and a history of the problem as well as its own analyses ( www.crisis group.org/home/index.cfm?id=3 071&l=1 ). Another valuable resource is the Afghanistan page of EurasiaNet, operated by the Central Eurasia Project of the Open Society Institute; it features news developments and anal- ysis ( www.eurasianet.org/resou rce/afghanistan/index.shtml ). To monitor daily news, see South Asia News ( http://southasia.net/news/ afghanistan/index.php ). — Susan Maitra, Senior Editor C Y B E R N O T E S D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 15 Site of the Month: www.globalmuseum.org Whether culture is your passion or you’re just looking for an interesting out- ing in Cairo, you’ll want to check out Global Museum . This award-winning Webzine is a required read for museum enthusiasts of all varieties. As List-A- Day.com describes it, “From bizarre and unbelievable news to noteworthy his- torical facts, this newsletter will plug you into information that is just slightly off the beaten media track.” Since its 1998 launch by New Zealand Web-developer Roger Smith, Global Museum has become an essential resource for museum aficionados worldwide. It is an excellent source for the scoop on the museum world, with details on new museums and exhibits, job openings, museum studies courses and recent scientific discoveries. The home page features headlines on museum-related news from various international publications, from the BBC to Al-Jazeera. Users can browse links to virtual libraries and research databases on the Resources page to access a wealth of information on topics like artifact analy- sis, archaeology and anthropology. If you’re looking for a museum in your town, the Museum Links page is an invaluable resource. A list of international links includes Web sites such as the Virtual Library Museums Pages, an extensive directory of museums in over 90 countries. A section dedicated exclusively to unusual museums around the world is sure to delight the less conventional user. The site also provides pod- cast subscriptions to audio tours from several museums and a catalogue of museology books and publications. For updates on Global Museum , you can sign up for its free weekly sub- scription. — Lamiya Rahman, Editoral Intern