The central government's limited writ and perceived corruption are helping sustain a Taliban insurgency and painting President Hamid Karzai as a weak leader. However, ethnic disputes have been confined to political debate and competition, enabling Karzai to focus on reversing the security deterioration and on his re-election bid in the fall of 2009. See CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman.

Lecture given Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 8:30 AM at Abilene Christian University: "This class for ACU graduate and undergraduate ministry students addresses five turnings of theology in a postmodern world. Brian will explore theology, atonement, eschatology, scripture, and God."