Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton outlines a three-point plan for Afghanistan. Veteran diplomat Marc Grossman will be President Obama’s new special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, succeeding the late Richard Holbrooke. In the U.S., the time might be just right for wind power. Volcanoes are currently a hot topic for the U.S. and Russia. And learn about American I AM, an exhibit showcasing the contributions of African Americans to life in the U.S.

In Afghanistan, a 3-Part Plan
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States is following a three-part strategy to support transition in Afghanistan, a process through which Afghans will “take responsibility for their own future.” The plan, she says, includes a military offensive against al-Qaida terrorists and Taliban insurgents, a civilian campaign to bolster democratic institutions in Afghanistan and Pakistan and an intensified diplomatic push.

Grossman is New U.S. Af-Pak Rep
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Veteran diplomat Marc Grossman will be President Obama’s new special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, succeeding Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who died in December. Speaking at the Asia Society in New York, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Grossman “knows our allies and understands how to mobilize common action to meet shared challenges.”

Time for Wind Power
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The U.S. government is pushing for large-scale wind power development, and a recent study says that costs for electricity generated by onshore wind are now on par with costs for coal-generated power. President Obama has called for 80 percent of U.S. energy to come from renewable sources, such as wind power, by 2035.

A Hot Topic for U.S., Russia
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Russian and U.S. scientists are planning research on a 4,000-kilometer long arc stretching from the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East across the Aleutian Islands chain to mainland Alaska where volcanoes and other geological event have occurred. Dr. John Eichelberger, program coordinator of the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program, says that ongoing cooperative research between the United States and Russia in this field is vital.

America I AM
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The exhibit America I AM: The African American Imprint looks at the contributions of African Americans to life in the United States and recently came to the National Geographic Museum in Washington for Black History Month. The exhibition presents multimedia displays and more than 200 historical and cultural artifacts, including the guitar at right, which the musician Prince played at the Super Bowl.