Quote of the Day 07/31/2009
"The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer."
-Henry Kissinger
-Henry Kissinger
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Failed States Index 07/30/2009
#16 - Ethopia
Carnegie recently released its 2009 failed states report. As usual, it's filled with highly accessible information and incredible photos on how the other half lives. Have a look.
What Does it Mean to be Pakistani? 07/30/2009
This article is written from the perspective of an important part of Pakistani society that despises both the Taliban and their sympathetic hosts in Pakistan. Liberals in Pakistan have come to terms with the fact that something is fundamentally wrong with the way the country is governed. Money quote:
"The military in the past 60 years has been involved in three declared interstate wars resulting in two draws and one humiliating defeat. The military budget surpasses the health and education budgets combined. Our army heads have staged more coups than the armies of other South Asian countries. We should not kid ourselves into believing that the current military operation is under the strict control of the civilian administration. The military as the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes a threat to national security and how to deal with such threats is fraught with dangers. Supporting the military action against the Taliban is not the same as the military deciding when and how to deal with domestic dissent."
Click to Read More ----->
"The military in the past 60 years has been involved in three declared interstate wars resulting in two draws and one humiliating defeat. The military budget surpasses the health and education budgets combined. Our army heads have staged more coups than the armies of other South Asian countries. We should not kid ourselves into believing that the current military operation is under the strict control of the civilian administration. The military as the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes a threat to national security and how to deal with such threats is fraught with dangers. Supporting the military action against the Taliban is not the same as the military deciding when and how to deal with domestic dissent."
Click to Read More ----->
Terrorism as a Business 07/30/2009
Many are unaware that suicide bombers are not always terrorists by choice. According to Pakistani officials, many children in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province are being kidnapped in order to "serve the cause." In other cases, they are being bought and sold.
Still, the main way that terrorists recruit youth is through indoctrination and promises for a better future. The only way to stop this is to improve education and offer these kids a better alternative to their currently miserable lives.
Still, the main way that terrorists recruit youth is through indoctrination and promises for a better future. The only way to stop this is to improve education and offer these kids a better alternative to their currently miserable lives.
A Looming Education Crisis in Pakistan 07/30/2009
Pakistan's education system has never been laudable. But things are poised to get worse. Millions of children are having their education interrupted indefinitely. What is the future for kids who lose their childhood to war?
It is a toxic mix of mental scarring, helplessness, and poverty that will drive some of these youth to fundamentalism and terrorism. To prevent this, these children must be offered a proper education and a path to a succesful future. If we do not, then the Taliban will abduct them or recruit them to become suicide bombers. And if that happens, no matter how many battles we win, we'll still lose the war.
It is a toxic mix of mental scarring, helplessness, and poverty that will drive some of these youth to fundamentalism and terrorism. To prevent this, these children must be offered a proper education and a path to a succesful future. If we do not, then the Taliban will abduct them or recruit them to become suicide bombers. And if that happens, no matter how many battles we win, we'll still lose the war.
New Blogger: Saria Sheikh 07/30/2009
Our friend Saria Sheikh, a blogger originally from Lahore, Pakistan, will be writing guest posts for our blog. She is a University of Pennsylvania graduate with a BA in Economics and Middle Eastern Studies.
We'll be excited to have more posts on Pakistan, a country that everyone realizes is a huge security challenge, but a place that few people understand. Saria's perspective is stridently secular, and she doubts that 'democracy' can resolve all of Pakistan's problems.
Saria will be joining the Cato Institute's Foreign Policy and Defense Team as a researcher in the Fall. All opinions expressed are her own.
We'll be excited to have more posts on Pakistan, a country that everyone realizes is a huge security challenge, but a place that few people understand. Saria's perspective is stridently secular, and she doubts that 'democracy' can resolve all of Pakistan's problems.
Saria will be joining the Cato Institute's Foreign Policy and Defense Team as a researcher in the Fall. All opinions expressed are her own.
Iraq: We're Still There 07/27/2009
Ross Douthat compares Iraq to both the Korean War and the Philippine-American War.
Yglesias agrees that Iraq is similar to the Philippine-American war, which he recalls as being a textbook case of senseless American adventurism.
Larison seconds Yglesias and challenges Douthat's contention that Iraq is more important strategically than Afghanistan.
Yglesias agrees that Iraq is similar to the Philippine-American war, which he recalls as being a textbook case of senseless American adventurism.
Larison seconds Yglesias and challenges Douthat's contention that Iraq is more important strategically than Afghanistan.
The BBC has an excellent photo essay on statues built by narcissistic politicians around the world. Check it out here.
Kurdish Election Update 07/26/2009
It appears that Gorran- "change" in Kurdish, has won the province of Sulaimaniya, one of the three official provinces of Iraqi Kurdistan. The city of Sulaimaniya itself is widely considered by Kurds to be the most beautiful in the region- when I was there last year, Kurds bragged that it was the "Paris of Kurdistan." Sulaimaniya has been historically controlled by Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
This guarantees that for the first time, Iraqi Kurdistan will have a true political opposition party in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament. This is a crucial step in invigorating Kurdistan's civil society, which is currently little more than a well-oiled patronage system controlled by leading Kurdish families.
It is important to note that Nawshiran Mustafa, the leader of Gorran, has strong historical ties to Jalal Talabani and the PUK. Gorran did not even bother to field a candidate against President Massoud Barzani, who is revered, along with his late father Mullah Mustafa Barzani, for leading generations of peshmerga. However, if Mustafa is able to claim a strong popular mandate, he may be able to resist selling himself off to the PUK or Barzani's KDP (Democratic Party of Kurdistan).
This guarantees that for the first time, Iraqi Kurdistan will have a true political opposition party in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament. This is a crucial step in invigorating Kurdistan's civil society, which is currently little more than a well-oiled patronage system controlled by leading Kurdish families.
It is important to note that Nawshiran Mustafa, the leader of Gorran, has strong historical ties to Jalal Talabani and the PUK. Gorran did not even bother to field a candidate against President Massoud Barzani, who is revered, along with his late father Mullah Mustafa Barzani, for leading generations of peshmerga. However, if Mustafa is able to claim a strong popular mandate, he may be able to resist selling himself off to the PUK or Barzani's KDP (Democratic Party of Kurdistan).
Sufi Muhammad Arrested in Peshawar 07/26/2009
The political "godfather" of the Taliban in Pakistan has been arrested. This is the same guy who helped broker the ill-fated deal between the Pakistani State and the Taliban to allow Shariah law in Swat.
This is one of the many manifestations over the past few months that Pakistan has realized that Islamic extremism is a threat not just to America and India, but to Pakistan too.
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