One of the greatest things about blogging is the unparalleled speed with which commentators can address the day's news. Unfortunately this paradigm also has a significant downside: it is easy for bloggers to get caught in a reactive rut. Instead of seeking out new stories and perspectives, they end up simply responding to the articles produced by mainstream sources. 

Our goal at PBOM is to counter this trend by pushing coverage of international affairs outside the popular purview. As part of this effort we are pleased to introduce a new monthly feature titled "In Focus." The basic idea is every month we will select an under-reported or under-analyzed topic and bring you a series of articles on that topic.

First up, Baluchistan.

Those of you who keep abreast of current affairs have probably heard of this ethnic quasi-state in relation to the recent bombing in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan that killed six Revolutionary Guard officers including General Noor Ali Shooshtari, the deputy commander of the Guards' ground force. Yet little of the coverage of the bombings provided the depth or breath of insight necessary to understand this isolated region. Most of the coverage instead chose to focus on Iran's assertion that foreign powers (read the U.S., Pakistan, and/or Saudi Arabia) were behind the attack.

Over the next month, we will attempt answer the following questions: Who are the Baluch? Where and how do they live? And what role do they play in regional politics? Today, I'll begin with a general overview of Baluchistan's geography and political history.

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The Land

Baluchistan spans significant sections of southeastern Iran and western Pakistan and a smaller section of southern Afghanistan. Although vast, the region is sparsely populated. For example, Baluch inhabit around 40% of Pakistan's landmass but account for only 3.57% of its population. The topography is dominated by open and often arid plains in the south and the Sulaiman Mountains in the north and east.

Baluchistan's strategic value comes mainly from the Makran coast with its multiple warm water ports. The Baluch inadvertently inhabit the most natural point of export for Central Asia's vast natural resources. It was this feature that initial inspired the Soviet misadventure in South Central Asia. And even today, Baluchistan's value to Pakistan is directly related its 300 mile coastline.

The People

The Baluch are a historically nomadic Iranian people group who originally inhabited the plateau south of the Caspian Sea. In the 11th Century, they migrated southeast to escape the invading Seljuk Turks. Some Baluch proceeded to establish small farming and fishing communities across the region, while other maintained the traditional nomadic lifestyle. Estimates of the current number of Baluch across the region range from 15 to 13 million.

The vast majority of Baluch are Muslims who adhere to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. The Baluch were initially introduced to Islam in the 7th Century when Caliph Umar concurred the Sassanid Persian Empire and have since maintained the practice.

Baluch culture and language have remained remarkably homogeneous over the years. In areas where the Baluch have settle down, they have adopted some local practices and linguistic traits. For example, the Baluch along the Makran Coast were heavily influenced by their interaction with Oman. But on the whole, the Baluch way off life remains remarkably unchanged.

The Politics

The modern political history of Baluchistan effectively began with the British incursion into the region in the 19th Century. By 1870s, the British troops occupied much of Baluchistan and in their inimitable style, they proceeded to draw a series of new, ill-advised  borders. In 1872, the Brits  struck a deal with the Qajar Dynasty which gave the Persians control over Western Baluchistan. And then in 1883, the Brits drew the Durand Line, dividing the Sulaimani Baluch in the north from the Makrani Baluch in the south.

The Baluchi's relationship with the British was not entirely antagonistic. Baluch sardars (tribal chiefs) regularly cooperated with the British in exchange for financial remuneration. By the final decade of the Raj the Baluch widely expected that the British-controlled Baluch areas would become an independent country when the British left. When Baluchistan became part of Pakistan in 1947, they were shocked.

Pakistan's drive to establish a strong central government clashed with the Baluch drive for autonomy. The result was a longstanding Baluch insurgency that flared up in 1948, 1958, 1962, and most significantly from 1973 to 1977. After the Pakistanis had successfully squelched the 1962 uprising,  a sardar named Sher Mohammed Marri established a network of secret training camps for Baloch tribesmen. In addition to providing military training, Marri taught his men a vaguely Marxist-Leninist ideology. This movement came to be known as the Baluch People's Liberation Front (BPLF).

In 1973, then President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto attempted to abolish the sardari tribal system and imprison various opposition leaders. The BPLF, then led by Nawab Khair Baksh Marri, launched an all-out attack on the Pakistani army. At the height of the violence, Marri led 55,000 Baluch tribesmen against 70,000 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan ultimately defeated the Baluch army and Marri was forced to flee to Afghanistan. But the defeat only further radicalized the Baluch population and in many ways gave rise to the most recent incarnation of Baluch nationalism.

In the next installment of In Focus: Baluchistan, I will address Baluch politics from the late-1970s to the present including the rise of Jondallah in Iran, Baluch ties to Wahhabi militant groups in Afghanistan, and drug trafficking across the region.   

-Evan