Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: Pakistani Politics

Pakistan’s Absurdities

Pakistan’s Absurdities

As a Pakistani, I know that we are some of the most resilient people with the biggest hearts and the most gullible minds. Since time immemorial, Pakistani’s have been  has been held hostage to their long desire to have a country that is run by the equitable laws of God. Since its inception, politicians and […]

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The Unwanted Federally Administered Tribal Areas

The Unwanted Federally Administered Tribal Areas

There are few places in the world that do not afford its citizens basic human rights, or at least a garb of human rights. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (or better known as “FATA”) are one of those areas. FATA are the semi-autonomous areas in the northwest frontier of Pakistan, bordering both the […]

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Horses, Bayonets … and COWS?

Horses, Bayonets … and COWS?

With our third and final electoral pageantry behind us, Americans can now gorge on a spate of lucid and provocative articulations of global security in the 21st century.  That is, for those bothering to read below the fold.  For most of us, our interest peaked with the morning headlines whose typographic excess was reserved for […]

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Questions About Turkey’s Role in Syria

Questions About Turkey’s Role in Syria

Syrian refugees sit outside their tents at Reyhanli refugee camp in Hatay province on the Turkish-Syrian border in April. Turkey’s prime minister recently warned that ‘Syria must be aware that in the event of a repetition of border violations, Turkey’s stance will not be the same.’ A fifth of Turkish military’s top brass is under […]

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Visiting Mousa in Abu Mousa

Visiting Mousa in Abu Mousa

  I recall having a hard time remembering all the Southern islands of Iran for exams during school years. I remember the name of “Abu Mousa” from those years. I had never thought about this island ever since. When I read the news about President Ahmadinejad’s visit to Abu Mousa, I still did not detect […]

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Pakistan's Failure

The strangely bizarre and comical launch of Musharraf’s so called Muslim League (or whatever name he is using) forced me to examine Pakistan. And, believe me, this time; I really looked hard not only at today’s Pakistan but also at its short, but awfully tumultuous history. And, it is extremely distressing to realize that nothing, […]

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Remember Pakistan's Liberal Dictator?

Remember Pakistan's Liberal Dictator?

Zainab Jeewanjee reports on Pervez Musharraf’s planned return to Pakistani politics. With the launch of the All Pakistan Muslim League, Jeewanjee discusses Musharraff’s liberal policies in hindsight and comparison to his opposition and political change seems imminent in the country.

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Aisam Qureshi's Country

Aisam Qureshi's Country

Zainab Jeewanjee comments on Asiam-ul-haq Qureshi, Pakistani tennis stars calls for Peace at the 2010 U.S. Open. She weaves in Fareed Zakaria’s argument that American’s are actually safer 10 years after 9/11 while Muslim countries grow weary of terrorists in their country and suffer from militant Islam to a larger extent than Americans domestically.

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Will Anger Solve Anything?

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. Mark Twain It really is a grueling task to write about Pakistan because there is never anything encouraging to discuss. It is always an angry mob shouting against ‘foreign hands, […]

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The Cleanup

The Cleanup

Zainab Jeewanjee highlights Ambassador Haqqani’s response to the Wikileaks Reports on Charlie Rose. Jeewanjee draws on Hussain Haqqani’s insights to elaborate on his notion that history is to be taken into account, in tandem with ground realities before sensationalizing the Wikileaks story to implicate Pakistan for “not doing enough”.

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Floundering Pakistan

Floundering Pakistan

Zainab Jeewanjee discusses the intricacies of implicating Pakistan in the Wikileaks report. She elaborates on the history, motivations and interests of Pakistan and finds that negotiating with extremist groups is perhaps an inevitable reality that policy makers must take into account before implicating that the government in Islamabad aids insurgents.

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Two Pakistans

Two Pakistans

Zainab Jeewanjee discusses Pakistan’s ban on facebook. She draws a parallel between the notion of a Red and Blue America, to two distinct Pakistan’s. According to Jeewanjee, a ban on Facebook demonstrates the governments failure to lead its Red and Blue population toward more religious sensitbility.

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Welcoming the War – Drones in Pakistan :: Part 3

Welcoming the War – Drones in Pakistan :: Part 3

Zainab Jeewanjee continues on drones in Pakistan, with Part 3 in a series of articles on Unmanned CIA aircraft in Pakistan. She discusses the scarcely heard Pakistani perspective that the drones are actually welcome in Waziristan. Skeptical of the argument, Jeewanjee explains the consequences of dismissing valid concerns Pakistani’s have about drones.

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The Hawk Some Didn't See Coming

The Hawk Some Didn't See Coming

Zainab Jeewanjee addresses the idea that President Obama is “changing tones” on foreign policy. An article in DAWN news suggests he is not living up to expectations on his foreign policy to Pakistan. Jeewanjee explains that he however is. Hawkishness on his part was promised from the onset of his campaign trail.

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Concessions & Collateral Damage : CIA Drones in Pakistan – Part 2

Concessions & Collateral Damage : CIA Drones in Pakistan – Part 2

Zainab Jeewanjee discusses Secretary Gates’ and Secretary Clinton’s respective plans for Afghanistan and Pakistan this week. While Secretary Gates suggested shared use of drone technology with Islamabad, he also called for a consolidated military approach to extremist groups. Secretary Clinton on the other hand, unveiled a civilian rooted plan aimed at reintegrating extremists back into the fold of society. Jeewanjee sides with Secretary Clinton on this issue and explains why Gates might have been hawkish in his stance.

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