Musharraf resigned. Good news or bad, only time will tell. However, now that we are entering post Musharaff era, it is critical that Mr. Gillani initiate programs to help the country, and also to establish good rapport with rest of the world. Pakistan needs friends and above all, Pakistan has to keep the alliance with […]
For the past few months, the war in Afghanistan has been seen as the ‘Right War’ by the American politicians and media. John McCain and Barack Obama both have called for greater troop strength in the conflict and have shown unwavering support in the US/NATO mission there; to defeat the insurgency/Taliban and create a viable, […]
In less than one hour Hizballah will sign at As-Safir Hotel in Beirut an agreement with the Salafi movements. I don't reject the idea, but I wonder if its going to work. In other news, Egypt will deliver energy and gas to Lebanon. The discussions between Lebanese and Egyptian officials resulted in the signature of […]
With the 2008 AIDS conference closing in Mexico City this past week, I wanted to highlight a few closing thoughts from the conference: 1) in 2005 the G8 promised universal access to antiretroviral drugs for AIDS treatment, and only 1/3 of the promised resources have been deployed 2) A big battle in developing countries will […]
Pakistan's Foreign said that Musharraf has 24 hours to quit on his own. However, Once again, Musharraf is making the wrong choice by not reading the writing on the wall. Daily Dawn is reporting that Musharraf has decided to ignore the advice of his friends, and his (few) supporters to leave with respect and dignity. […]
Musharraf's base, Pakistan Army has wisely decided to let the political process take care of itself, instead of supporting or protecting Musharraf. Musharraf's best friend, G.W. Bush has not even bothered to call him to show his support. Laura King looks at how and why the military decided not to intervene. Pakistani military leaders are […]
Writing for Los Angeles Times, Tariq Ali pointed out that inflation is out of control in Pakistan. Life for ordinary citizens is nothing short of hell on daily basis and therefore, Pakistan after Musharaff won't be different for those who are unable to afford daily necessities. Pakistan after Musharraf The country's problems won't go away […]
Peter Bergen, one of the leading terrorism analyst and the author of The Osama bin Laden I Know wrote this piece for Washington Post on Sunday, 8/17/08 Al Qaeda at 20 Dead or Alive? By Peter Bergen Sunday, August 17, 2008; B01 Two decades after al-Qaeda was founded in the Pakistani border city of Peshawar […]
What comes to mind when we hear Pakistan? Bombings? Angry mobs? Terrorism? Violence against women and religious minorities? The answer is all of the above. But, is this the true picture? After all, this is all we hear whenever Pakistan or anything about Pakistan is mentioned. The question is whether this picture is correct or […]
It was reported in The News International that Henny Khan, the wife of AQ Khan has suggested that Musharraf be treated the way Musharraf treated Dr. Khan after Dr. Khan's supposedly illegal activities surfaced. This is a remarkable fall from grace for Musharraf, a man who ran Pakistan like his personal estate. Just to remind […]
Tripoli's tense situation continues. I don't know who is behind the attacks, and I doubt we’ll hear of the investigation results anytime soon. Michael Young has a very good op-ed on the latest events. Recently, colleagues who closely follow events in Tripoli have started hearing of Syrian warnings to the Lebanese that there would be […]
Here's a link to the latest BBC video coverage from Russian positions within Georgia, entitled “Secret Film of Russian Troops.” This footage, from August 15, makes plain that Russian troops remain in the Georgia port of Poti, carrying out military actions.
On this page, we have constantly debated between realist and idealist foreign policies regarding the West and Central Asia. The West's liberal/democratic rhetoric and policy of democracy promotion comes in stark contrast to Russia and China's movements throughout the world, and this is easily seen in Central Asia. In this same regard, we have discussed […]
A seemingly ubiquitous crime in South Africa in recent months has been the bombing and looting of ATM machines, especially, but not exclusively, in urban areas, particularly in Gauteng. The professionalization of this crime, and its recent profusion caused the Democratic Alliance to call for a probe of ATM bombings last month. Perhaps the DA's […]
The Tri-Nations tournament resumes this weekend at Cape Town's Newlands Stadium. The Springboks will clash against the All Blacks in a game both sides will desperately want to win to keep their hopes alive of emerging as the winners of the annual clash of the giants of Southern hemisphere rugby. The home-field advantage will serve […]