To Pamela Geller, the youths at Utoya were elitist anti-Semites, Hitler youth, not to mention race-mixers.
Pamela Geller’s, uh, Ill-Timed Rants Malign Memory of Utoya Victims
read more
Europe & Central Asia
Afghanistan: U.S. and Pakistan Seek to Reinforce a Border That Was Arbitrary to Begin With
Pakistan has neither the manpower nor the money to fortify its border with Afghanistan.
The Dual Failure of Night Raids and Drones
Adapting to an unconventional war, the United States and its allies picked up some new tactics in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the past few years, drone attacks and night raids have become staples of the effort to combat al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The announcement of a new counterterrorism strategy and the beginning of troop withdrawals from the conflict suggest that these methods are poised to become fixtures of how the U.S. combats global terrorist threats.
Afghanistan: Anatomy of a Hit
The July 12 assassination of Ahmed Wali Karzai in Kandahar is one of those moments when the long and bloody Afghanistan war suddenly comes into focus. It is not a picture one is eager to put up on the wall.
Norway: The Enemy Within
Scandinavians have a dual reputation for tolerance and homogeneity: a population of pale, polite people who speak English perfectly. But that’s your grandfather’s Scandinavia. Over the last several decades, the region has become a great deal more diverse after a steady influx of immigrants from the east and south. And the tolerance has become considerably frayed with the more recent rise of several right-wing xenophobic parties.
Breivik’s Qutb
Anders Behring Breivik was influenced by the writing of a third-rate U.S. terrorism “expert.”
The Courtship of Iran and Pakistan
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari paid a second visit to Tehran last weekend after having been there only three weeks ago. Official reports by Pakistani and Iranian sources broadly characterized the visit as “part of the ongoing process to strengthen bilateral ties, step up consultations with countries in the region for peace and stability at a time when tension was developing in some parts and for promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan and fighting militancy.” But this rationale hardly warrants two head-of-state level official visits in such a short span of time. After all, lower-level officials could have dealt with such concerns, as in the past.
Pakistan’s K — as in Kashmir — Street
The grand strategy of a Pakistan-funded Washington NGO is to offset the Indian lobby on Kashmir by targeting members of Congress who work on foreign affairs.
Lagarde’s Victory: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?
Today many in the developing world continue to be frustrated with the IMF’s structure since it doesn’t reflect the shifting power balance in the global economy.
Review: The Wars of Afghanistan
Drawing on newly released documents, personal anecdote, and keen analysis, former U.S. Ambassador Peter Tomsen relates a brutal portrait of Afghanistan from its origins to the present day. That present is as dark as the recent past. Despite the glum historical perspective, Tomsen’s final analysis in The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and The Failures of Great Powers leaves a ray of hope.