There is a remarkable statistic in Jane Mayer’s superb piece [abstract] on the Predator war in The New Yorker:
It appears to have taken sixteen missile strikes, and fourteen months, before the C.I.A. succeeded in killing [Baitullah Mehsud]. During this hunt, between two hundred and seven and three hundred and twenty-one additional people were killed, depending [...]
Archive for the ‘Pakistan’ Category
Of Predators and Suicide Bombers
Posted in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda, Pakistan on October 27, 2009 | 4 Comments »
‘American Departure Would Seal the Region’s Fate’
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on October 23, 2009 | 7 Comments »
Ahmed Rashid:
[...] Pakistan is far less resilient than it was a few years ago. Even as Pakistani officials bluntly criticize Holbrooke for linking Afghanistan and Pakistan in his ‘AfPak’ strategy, some Pakistanis already see a chronic ‘Afghanization’ of their nation. Current realities include a collapse of law and order in parts of the country, state [...]
Department of Tasting One’s Own Medicine: Pakistan Urges NATO to ‘Seal the Border’
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on October 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
You gotta be kidding me:
As government forces pressed ahead with the Waziristan offensive, the military called on the NATO troops in Afghanistan to seal the border ‘to prevent cross-border movement and flow of weapons.’
Pakistan Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Chairman General Tariq Majid made the call during talks with Britain’s Chief of Defence Staff, [...]
Afghanistan: Important Or Not?
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on September 28, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Some great stuff I don’t have time to comment on right now (am putting the finishing touches on a story about a Finnish ISAF soldier wounded by friendly fire in 2006):
In the September issue of the CTC Sentinel, Anne Stenersen examines why the Afghan Taliban are unlikely to attack targets in the West. Food for [...]
Afghanistan: Why South Asia Matters
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on September 23, 2009 | 4 Comments »
I’ve been a fan of Steve Coll’s ever since we both covered South Asia in the early 90s, so needless to say, I feel somewhat… what’s that nice English word… vindicated by this:
The United States has a deep interest in the emergence of a stable, modernizing, economically integrated, peaceful South Asia—by which I mean the [...]
Afghanistan: Answering Finel’s 10 Questions
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on September 8, 2009 | 2 Comments »
In his FP article ”Doubting Afghanistan”, Bernard Finel puts forward 10 questions he believes one must be able to “convincingly answer” to make “a compelling case” for bolstering the Western military commitment in Afghanistan.
To be precise, there are seven questions and three strawmen. And some of the questions come close to being… well, outright inane, [...]
Breaking: Finnish Blogger Nibbled to Death by Fellow Doves
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on August 24, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Matthew Yglesias thinks I’m overestimating the Taliban:
Seriously, however high ‘toppling the Pakistani government’ may be on the Taliban to-do list, it’s still, you know, hard. Indeed, it’s worth emphasizing that on both sides of the border there are actual human beings living and fighting against the Taliban who would continue to resist Taliban domination of [...]
9/11, American Myopia and Nuclear War
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan on August 20, 2009 | 11 Comments »
Suppose 9/11 never happened.
In Afghanistan, the Taleban celebrate their 13th year in power. In neighbouring Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf or another military dictator is toasting with them, comfortable in the knowledge that his country’s strategic interests are safe. Across the world, high-profile attacks by terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan are met with shock and horror, but [...]
Pakistan Allows Politics in FATA
Posted in Pakistan on August 14, 2009 | 2 Comments »
In a rare bit of good news, President Asif Ali Zardari today announced Pakistan would allow political activity in the violent Pashtun tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
In other news, the head of Zardari’s party was recently witnessed honing his oratorial skills:
[h/t: The Pakistan Policy Blog.]
The Curious Case of Pakistan’s Loose Nukes
Posted in Pakistan on August 12, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Everyone and their neighbour seems to be linking to Shaun Gregory’s article in the CTC Sentinel about nuclear security in Pakistan, so let me pitch in. First, here’s the passage that’s giving us the creeps:
A series of attacks on nuclear weapons facilities has also occurred. These have included an attack on the nuclear missile storage [...]
