After last year’s failures, and with monsoon season a fairly predictable occurrence, why are Pakistan and the international community again unprepared for the flooding that has been looming for months? So far, U.S. bilateral assistance has been limited to a modest $19 million emergency relief package from USAID. In a political climate where Mitt Romney and other Republican candidates have suggested cutting off all aid to Pakistan, Washington appears reluctant to offer more help.
Pakistani Nukes in Step Vans Have Ripple Effect on Iran
The United States fears that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons will fall into the hands of terrorists. But Pakistan believes that the United States has designs on its nukes.
Pakistan: Reversing the Lens
Since the United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, Pakistan has lost more than 35,000 people, the vast bulk of them civilians. While the U.S. has had slightly over 1800 soldiers killed in the past 10 years, Pakistan has lost over 5,000 soldiers and police. The number of suicide bombings in Pakistan has gone from one before 2001, to more than 335 since.
“Terrorism,” as Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says, “is not a statistic for us.”
Pakistan’s Little-Known Payback to the U.S. for Drone Attacks on Its Soil
Most Americans aren’t aware that the Pakistani military actually mounts attacks on Afghan soil.
Karachi’s Long Summer of Violence
Karachi is the biggest city in Pakistan. It is the country’s commercial hub, financial capital, naval base, and only operational seaport. For the past several months, this city has once again been in the grip of violence. Gunshots ringing out in poor neighborhoods claimed the lives of more than 400 individuals in the months of July and August.
Did the U.S. Capitalize on the Murder of Pakistani Journalist Shahzad?
By accepting information obtained from a journalist tortured to death, the C.I.A. signals that it condones such practices.
Pakistan: Tragic Trendsetter for Religious, Political, and Ethnic Violence
Many in Pakistan reflexively call for a “strongman” to quell violence in Karachi and the rest of the country.
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.
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.