We thread our way through American efforts to end 12 years of war in Afghanistan. With players including the Karzai government, the Taliban, Pakistan and India, we look at the host of challenges facing American diplomacy as the fighting goes on. Also, the Supreme Court sends affirmative action case back to the Appeals Court, and fugitive leaker Edward Snowden, who has complicated US relations with China and Russia in the name of open government.
Banner image: Muhammad Naeem (2nd R), a spokesman for the Office of the Taliban of Afghanistan, stands next to a translator speaking during the opening of the Taliban Afghanistan Political Office in Doha June 18, 2013. Photo: Mohammed Dabbous/Reuters