Enlisting civilian aid in halting terrorism isn’t only a problem in the Middle East.
Discouraging Civilian Cooperation With Counterterrorism, Part 963
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Europe & Central Asia
WikiLeaks: For Norway, Oil Wealth and Humanitarianism Go Hand in Hand
For most states, oil wealth spells, to a certain extent, an end to ethics. Not Norway.
WikiLeaks XXXI: Tired of Watching Paint Dry, U.S. Embassy in Armenia Busies Itself With Road Safety
With little else they deem important, U.S. diplomats in Armenia pass the time by speculating about laws covering cell phone use while driving.
Liberal Pakistan under Extremist Assault
Liberals in Pakistan are struggling to stand their ground in the face of religious extremism and terrorist violence that, on January 4, claimed the life of one of their leaders, Salman Taseer. As the governor of Pakistan’s largest province of Punjab, Taseer campaigned against the abuse of the country’s blasphemy laws. The biased application of these laws have upended the lives of hundreds of innocent people.
Art, Activism, and Permaculture
Infamous for fomenting mass disobedience on bicycles during the Copenhagen climate Summit, touring the UK recruiting a rebel clown army, running courses in post-capitalist culture and falling in love with utopias, the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination exists somewhere between art and activism, poetry and politics. The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination is not an institution or a group, not a network nor an NGO, but an affinity of friends who recognize the beauty of collective creative disobedience. It treats insurrection as an art, and art as a means of preparing for the coming insurrection.
60-Second Expert: Afghanistan
Despite the Obama administration’s repeated assurances to the contrary, the war in Afghanistan has taken a turn for the worse since the troop surge. Public opinion in the United States, NATO countries, and Afghanistan itself increasingly oppose the war. Corruption remains rampant, President Karzai’s influence barely extends beyond Kabul, and the military’s “counterinsurgency” strategy has translated into stepping up aerial bombings and night raids. At $8 billion a month, the war is bankrupting the United States with very few results to show for it.
Gen. Petraeus Makes McChrystal Look Like a Pacifist
Does anybody really know what counterinsurgency is anymore?
The Power of Political Islam
When western governments focus on political Islam, the debate gravitates toward the national security domain. Western governments and policy analysts routinely portray the role of Islam within Arab political life as a danger to western interests. In reality, Islam is an integral component of contemporary Muslim politics. With some innovative thinking, the United States and its western allies can use the power of Islam to their advantage as well as the advantage of people in the region.
The Misuse of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Did Defense Department general counsel Jeh C. Johnson really think invoking Martin Luther King, Jr.’s name in the service of our presence in Afghanistan would fly?
Review: Cutting the Fuse
Foreign occupation is the common thread tying suicide terrorism together the world over. In Dying to Win and again in Cutting the Fuse, Robert Pape argues that the United States must endeavor to draw down its occupation of Middle Eastern countries and return to a policy of offshore balancing to maintain its regional interests.