In yet another symbolic move designed to foster the idea that things are “looking up”, American forces will today scale down their visible presence in major Iraqi cities.
Don’t believe what you read — U.S. troops will not “withdraw”, but rather will relocate to larger bases within city limits. In Mosul, this means FOB Marez, which [...]
Archive for June, 2009
As Iraq Celebrates, Symbolism Trumps Security
Posted in Iraq on June 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
EU and Pakistan: My Two Cents
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on June 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
For reasons beyond me, Atlantic-Community.org asked me to take part in their expert survey on EU policy towards Pakistan. I hardly qualify as an “international expert”, but in case you’re interested, here’s what I wrote them:
How does Pakistan’s instability impact EU security concerns?
I believe the extent of Pakistan’s political instability is somewhat exaggerated. The Pakistani [...]
Message from the Management
Posted in Misc on June 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
At home with the boys (ages 6 and 1). Posting will be sporadic.
Afghanistan: Extremists ‘Target Families of ISAF Soldiers’
Posted in Afghanistan on June 14, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Finnish ISAF soldiers heading for Northern Afghanistan can no longer be photographed or identified by name in the media because of potential extremist threats to their families, according to a Finnish commander interviewed by my hometown newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. Does anyone else find this rather unlikely? Josh? Christian?
Afghanistan: Al-Qaeda ‘Involved in Insurgency Since 2002′
Posted in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda on June 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“Al-Qaida was involved in the insurgency in Afghanistan from the very beginning in 2002″, Anne Stenersen argues in a new FFI conference paper that will be a nice eye-opener to anyone under the illusion that the West is fighting a monolithic enemy in Afghanistan. Also:
“When looking at biographies of militants who died in the area [...]
Iraq: Why the Bombings Make Sense
Posted in Iraq on June 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Touting the new CNAS paper on Iraq over at his handsomely renovated Abu Muqawama, Andrew Exum asks what he considers “the question in Iraq right now”:
I think Iraq stopped being a counterinsurgency campaign over a year ago, but even when we were fighting an insurgency, a lot of other stuff was going on. A civil [...]
In Afghanistan Reviews, Fifth Time the Charm?
Posted in Afghanistan on June 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his deputy, Gen. David Rodriguez to proceed with a review of war strategy, McClatchy’s Nancy Youssef reports.
This is excellent news — it has been almost two months since the war was last reviewed.
[h/t Spencer Ackerman.]
Iraq Will Hold Referendum on SOFA — NYT
Posted in Iraq on June 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Mindful of their nationalist credentials in an election year, Iraqi politicians are pressing ahead with plans to hold a referendum on the U.S.-Iraqi Status of Forces Agreement, The New York Times reports. If the pact is voted down, U.S. troops will have to pack up and leave one year ahead of schedule, in 2010. Marc [...]
Afghanistan: Misidentifying the Enemy
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on June 9, 2009 | 3 Comments »
In Triage, the new CNAS report on Afghanistan and Pakistan authored by Andrew Exum, Nathaniel Fick, Ahmed Humayun and David Kilcullen, the word ‘Taliban’ is used 69 times. For example:
The Taliban is pursuing a strategy of exhaustion designed to bleed away public support in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe for continued Western engagement [...]
Bin Laden Tape a Sign of Trouble?
Posted in Al-Qaeda on June 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
At Jihadica, which to my great relief is going strong despite Will McCants’s departure, Thomas Hegghammer decodes bin Laden’s latest audiotape and concludes all may not be well at the house of al-Qaeda:
What we have here is a short, outdated tape delivered manually following a series of longer, up-to-date statements distributed online. This suggests to [...]
