Over the weekend, Afghan president Hamid Karzai lashed out at coalition forces on state television, suggesting NATO was in his country for "their own purposes." U.S. officials fired back, suggesting that such statements may hasten a withdrawal of troops despite continuing challenges to Afghanistan's government. This rhetorical tit-for-tat illustrates a larger argument that grows even more heated as taste for the war across the country and in Washington lessens. Is it time to get out completely? And if so, how? 

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his predecessor Donald Rumsefld are being accused of turning a blind eye to sexual harassment charges against women in the military, and they are now being sued. Seventeen current and former members of the military claim that this behavior by the Pentagon led to violence against women being tolerated. This meant that their Constitutional rights were violated. Jesse Ellison, writer and editor for Newsweek, and the author of blog Equality Myth, has the details of this lawsuit.

On the heels of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit to China last week, President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao will discuss the evolving relationship between each country's military this weeek. Gates urged the need for both countries to strengthen their military ties and keep one another informed about all their military capabilities. However, historically, China's military has been reluctant to take part in meetings with their U.S. counterparts.

There’ll be a lot more "out of office" emails in Washington this week as key members of the Obama administration are on trips in South Asia, Asia and the Arabian peninsula. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in China today and will travel to South Korea and Japan later in the week. Vice President Joe Biden has just left Afghanistan and is in Pakistan today; and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Qatar, continuing her tour of Arab states after her surprise trip to Yemen yesterday. What do these three top officials hope to accomplish abroad, and what challenges do they face?

There may be a change for the plan to completely withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the U.S. would be open to discussions of an extended stay in Iraq, if asked by the Iraqi authorities. "In terms of the future strategic relationship beyond the end of 2011, I would say that the initiative clearly needs to come from the Iraqis," Gates told reporters yesterday in Kuala Lumpur. Is the U.S. legacy there going to be even longer than we imagined? 

We take look at what's ahead this week, with Marcus Mabry of The New York Times and Latoya Peterson editor of the blog, Racialicious. Volcanic ash continues to keep most European flights grounded affecting attendance at everything from the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate to the Tribeca Film Festival, both of which take place this week. Meanwhile, Washington is still buzzing about the Iran memo sent by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. And in cultural news, Wanda Sykes' show is up for renewal and Green Days' "American Idiot" opens on Broadway.