In less than two weeks, Afghanistan’s new president, Ashraf Ghani, will head to London to meet with international donors. At the conference, scheduled for Dec. 4, he will seek billions of dollars to develop Afghanistan in a new era, as U.S. and international combat troops are preparing to withdraw by year's end. Afghanistan is facing a fiscal crisis; it recently ran out of money to pay salaries of civil servants.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are neighbors with some difficult issues to work out.  Well, over the weekend, the leaders of the two countries met, but it wasn't your usual diplomatic encounter.  hey call it cricket diplomacy. If you're not getting along with your neighbors, invite them over for a game.

According to counterinsurgency strategist David Galula, the clearest way to take support away from an insurgent is to hold successful elections. Elections are the most visible way a population demonstrates their choice for the government rather than the insurgent. 

Fifteen entry-level diplomats from Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs started a two-week training program in Washington on Monday.  For the next two weeks, the group will learn about US policy regarding Afghanistan, US-China relations, public diplomacy and how foreign policy is developed in the US, with a goal towards developing diplomatic, communications and management skills.

“Culture does not have border and both Pakistan and Afghanistan have strong cultural relations,” the adviser said while inaugurating the two-day show organised by Pak-Afghan Culture Forum in collaboration with the provincial government.

According to a declassified Ministry of Defence report on the power of soap operas, positive messages and storylines slipped into New Home, New Life, the British-backed Afghan incarnation of The Archers, have helped reduce landmine injuries, and persuaded Afghans to vote and to stop producing opium.