The Af-Pak Channel
No More Representatives, Please BY NICK HORNE The last thing we need is a new big shot envoy in Kabul. » READ MORE Obama’s Indecent Interval BY THOMAS H. JOHNSON, M. CHRIS MASON Despite the U.S. president’s pleas to the contrary, the war in Afghanistan looks more like Vietnam than ever. » READ MORE Pakistan’s ...
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No More Representatives, Please
BY NICK HORNE
The last thing we need is a new big shot envoy in Kabul.
Obama’s Indecent Interval
BY THOMAS H. JOHNSON, M. CHRIS MASON
Despite the U.S. president’s pleas to the contrary, the war in Afghanistan looks more like Vietnam than ever.
Pakistan’s Failing War on Terror
BY BRIAN FISHMAN
Pakistan needs to rethink its strategy for defeating jihadi groups — not just throw more troops at the problem.
Goodnight Afghanistan, Good Morning Pakistan.
BY ARIF RAFIQ
A commentary on Obama’s Afghanistan policy, written liberally in the style of Goodnight Moon.
Pakistan’s Failing War on Terror
BY BRIAN FISHMAN
Pakistan needs to rethink its strategy for defeating jihadi groups — not just throw more troops at the problem.
Afghanistan Is Still Worth the Fight, Part II
BY J ALEXANDER THIER
A continued U.S. investment in Afghanistan will require a commitment of wills, and of partners.
Afghanistan Is Still Worth the Fight
BY J ALEXANDER THIER
There may not be a single or short explanation justifying a U.S. presence in Afghanistan. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to cut and run.
A Warning About “Community-Based” Defense Forces
BY THOMAS RUTTIG
Why the case of Abdul Razeq’s police-unit-cum-militia should send a stark warning to those envisaging a new version of “community-based” defense forces.
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More from The Afpak Channel:
Strategy and war in Pakistan and Afghanistan
BY AHSAN BUTT | DEC. 8, 2009
What exactly will it take for opinion-makers and decision-makers in the West to draw a connection between their strategies and the enormous physical toll on Pakistan?
What Obama Almost Said
BY JEFFREY STERN | DEC. 8, 2009
When President Obama laid out his plans for Afghanistan on December 1, he made it clear — to many for the first time — that the war in Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. “[T]he stakes are even higher within a nuclear-armed Pakistan,” he said, “because we know that al Qaeda and other extremists seek nuclear weapons, and we have every reason to believe that they would use them.” He went on to provide this augury: “Our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan.”
The View from Kabul
BY ASMA NEMATI | DEC. 2, 2009
All eyes were focused on the U.S. early this morning in Kabul, when Obama delivered his long-awaited speech spelling out his new Afghanistan strategy. What are people’s reactions? A bit contradictory and halfhearted, like the strategy itself. Obama is willing to support Afghanistan and defeat terrorists, yet also set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. And, likewise, Afghans feel the same way.
A Certain Obama, Uncertain Allies
BY SHUJA NAWAZ | DEC. 2, 2009
There is no doubt about it now. This is Obama’s War. He took full ownership of it last night. He acknowledged how and why the United States went into Afghanistan, why it has stayed, and why it will leave under his timetable, with all its caveats. But to many the speech may not provide the basis for winning the war, because the objectives are still uncertain and more importantly, Obama has uncertain allies around the world and in the region. Without help from all of them, the United States alone will not be able to prosecute a successful counterinsurgency nor exit as gracefully as the president’s timetable implies.
Why Obama’s Civilian Strategy Worries Me
BY CAROLINE WADHAMS | DEC. 2, 2009
President Obama’s speech on Afghanistan was a welcome reaffirmation of his commitment to Afghanistan and Pakistan and struck the right tone in terms of laying out clear objectives and expectations while also placing these operations within the larger context of our economic crisis and broader U.S. national security concerns. While the speech was not meant to outline specifics, his civilian strategy sparked some potential concerns for me.
Drone War Takes a Toll on Militants — and Civilians
BY PETER BERGEN & KATHERINE TIEDEMANN | OCT. 29, 2009
The Obama administration has dramatically ratcheted up the American drone warfare program in Pakistan. Since President Obama took office, U.S. drone strikes have killed about a half-dozen militant leaders along with hundreds of other people, a quarter of whom were civilians. As a result of the unprecedented 42 strikes by drone aircraft into Pakistan authorized by the Obama administration, aimed at Taliban and al Qaeda networks based there, about a half-dozen leaders of militant organizations have been killed.
A primer on the epicenter of global terrorism.
By Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann
A guide to the most critical readings on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Afghanistan has been struggling to establish itself as a stable state. The war that began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks has dragged on, and the only thing certain is that there’s still a long road ahead.
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