Latest Articles about South Asia
Afghanistan’s National Army: The Ambiguous Prospects of Afghanization
Over the last few years the Afghan National Army (ANA) has often been presented as a success story. This certainly holds some truth, at least in comparison with Afghanistan’s national police, which is widely seen as a complete failure. The ANA is reasonably well behaved... MORE
Turkey and Pakistan Cooperate on Counter-Terrorism Efforts
Facing well-entrenched insurgencies and numerous acts of terrorism, Turkey and Pakistan have initiated cooperative efforts to increase their security in the face of these threats. Following a two-day, high-level official visit to Pakistan by Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, the two nations announced “strategic” cooperation... MORE
Shiite-Sunni Strife Paralyzes Life in Pakistan’s Kurram Tribal Agency
Pakistan’s Kurram Tribal Agency has been at the center of sectarian Shiite-Sunni conflict for decades. The area witnessed bloody clashes between the two rival sects of Islam long before the arrival of the Taliban phenomenon and foreign al-Qaeda elements in the region in the wake... MORE
Pakistan’s New Government Launches Peace Initiative with Islamist Militants in Swat
Maulana Sufi Mohammad, the aged leader of the banned Islamic group, Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-i-Mohammadi (TNSM), was released in Peshawar on April 21 after more than six years of imprisonment as part of the reconciliation efforts undertaken by the newly-elected coalition government of Pakistan's North-West Frontier... MORE
Sino-Pakistani Defense Relations and the War on Terrorism
Concurrent with Pakistan’s often tumultuous military relationship with the United States is a growing and highly amicable economic and military relationship with China that poses vital questions regarding Pakistan’s future approach to the War on Terrorism. While suspicion of American motives runs high in Pakistan,... MORE
Dostum: Afghanistan’s Embattled Warlord
While the resurgence of the Taliban is the focus of interest in the Pashtun south of Afghanistan, the year started with a different story in the north that many are depicting as one of the greatest challenges to the Karzai government. Namely the surreal confrontation... MORE
CENTRAL ASIAN LEADERS SIGNAL SUPPORT FOR NATO CORRIDOR TO AFGHANISTAN
NATO's 59th annual gathering is a glittering affair with an ambitious agenda. According to the media group on NATO, security leaders from NATO's 26 member states were joined by representatives from an additional 23 nations involved in NATO's Partnership for Peace program (Rompress, April 2).... MORE
Targeting the Khyber Pass: The Taliban’s Spring Offensive
Taliban Deputy Leader Mullah Bradar Muhammad Akhand announced “a new series of operations” under the code name “Operation Ebrat” (Lesson) on March 27. The Taliban’s spring offensive is “aimed at giving the enemy a lesson through directing powerful strikes at it, which it can never... MORE
Tribes and Rebels: The Players in the Balochistan Insurgency
As the violence on Pakistan’s northwest frontier dominates the headlines, a lesser-known insurgency has gripped Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan. Bomb blasts and rocket attacks have become almost daily events in this region: A ten-week period in 2008 saw 76 insurgent-linked incidents reported, claiming the... MORE
Is Global Jihad a Fading Phenomenon?
In dark times, prominent American journalists and scholars can always be relied on to obscure troublesome realities with hope-based theories. On February 28, a leading Washington Post columnist published the results of his interview with a prominent U.S. social scientist/terrorism expert and came to the... MORE