Amid concerns over losing even more ground to NATO military power, Russia is set to engage in a large-scale military overhaul.
Does Russian Defense Spending Mark Its Wholesale Return to Cold War Mentality?
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Europe & Central Asia
Afghanistan: Killing Peace
In spite of a White House report that “progress” is being made in Afghanistan, by virtually any measure the war has significantly deteriorated since the Obama administration surged troops into Kandahar and Helmand provinces. This past year has been the deadliest on record for U.S. and coalition troops. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, security has worsened throughout the country. Civilian casualties are on the rise. U.S. allies are falling away, and the central government in Kabul has never been so isolated. Polls in Afghanistan, the United States, and Europe reflect growing opposition to the nine-year conflict.
The Urge to Surge: Washington’s 30-Year High
Just as 2010 ended, the American military’s urge to surge resurfaced in a significant way. It seems that “leaders” in the Obama administration and “senior American military commanders” in Afghanistan were acting as a veritable WikiLeaks machine. They slipped information to New York Times reporters Mark Mazzetti and Dexter Filkins about secret planning to increase pressure in the Pakistani tribal borderlands, possibly on the tinderbox province of Baluchistan, and undoubtedly on the Pakistani government and military via cross-border raids by U.S. Special Operations forces in the new year.
WikiLeaks XXVIII: Organized Crime Squeezing the Life Out of Bulgaria
Organized crime in Bulgaria dates its inception to the demise of communism, but has already become a tradition.
Will U.S. Use Punjab Governor’s Death as Pretext for More Drone Attacks?
While the assassination of Punjab’s governor might be seen as an excuse for more drone attacks in Pakistan, it’s more likely an effect.
Memo to US — You’ve Been Out-Adapted. Go Home!
The individual or group, such as the Taliban, with more available options — harassing, pursuing or retreating — is most likely to prevail.
The 2010 “Are You Serious?” Awards
In which erstwhile FPIF columnist Conn Hallinan hands out his awards for dubious distinction to news stories and newsmakers.
60-Second Expert: Ireland
By embracing the wave of globalization sweeping the world in the 1990s, Ireland was able to nurture the fastest growing economy in Europe, dropping unemployment to 5% and raising per capita GDP to one of the highest in the world. But, as the recent collapse of the Irish economy demonstrates, this was not sustainable growth.
60-Second Expert: Kashmir
In recent memory, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan have received the lion’s share of the attention of U.S. policy in Central Asia. This is not surprising. It would be hard to ignore two wars and the issue of preventing nuclear proliferation either by Iran or from an unstable Pakistan. Yet, U.S. foreign policy has omitted a region that has sparked conflict between two nuclear armed states as recently as 1999. That region is Kashmir.
WikiLeaks XXIII: Torture Cables Undermine India’s Efforts to Inhabit Higher Ethical Ground Than China
The International Committee of the Red Cross concluded that the Indian government condoned torture to gain control of Kashmir.