Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

A catchy Pakistani protest song

A good beat, too. I was especially struck by the mocking sign claiming that "This video is sponsored by Zionists." In your face, ace. I only understood a fraction of the references (like kojaks flying kites?), but an article in Dawn makes it clear this is nervy stuff for a bunch of kids in Lahore ...

A good beat, too. I was especially struck by the mocking sign claiming that "This video is sponsored by Zionists." In your face, ace.

A good beat, too. I was especially struck by the mocking sign claiming that "This video is sponsored by Zionists." In your face, ace.

I only understood a fraction of the references (like kojaks flying kites?), but an article in Dawn makes it clear this is nervy stuff for a bunch of kids in Lahore to put out. "Here was a bunch of raw, early twenty-somethings poking fun at the military chief," notes Dawn with some astonishment. There is indeed a shoutout to a certain Pakistan general. Btw, the band’s Punjabi name means "the Dishonour Brigade."

The song also name drops Blackwater in an interesting way, implying (according to the article) that Pakistanis should stop blaming that company and instead look at internal sources of violence.

Meanwhile, here is a solid interview about the future of Pakistan and Afghanistan with the finely named Vanda Felbab-Brown. She speaks much truth.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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