Tag: pakistan

Obama Troop Surge Decision Ignored Pak-Taliban Ties

The unilateral U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden created a spike in mutual recriminations between U.S. and Pakistani politicians, but their fundamental conflict of interest over Afghanistan was already driving the two countries toward serious confrontation. The pivotal event in relations between the Barack Obama administration and Pakistan was the decision by Obama to … Continue reading “Obama Troop Surge Decision Ignored Pak-Taliban Ties”

How Dare They Bomb Pakistan, That’s Our Job

The hypocrisy is unspeakable. This morning (13th May), 80 Pakistani citizens are dead. These were not terrorists, nor warlords, but harmless civilians who, not for a second, posed a threat to society. The vile attacks in the northwest Pakistan district of Chardassa were perpetrated by suicide bombers belonging to the Pakistani Taliban. They called it the … Continue reading “How Dare They Bomb Pakistan, That’s Our Job”

Is Leon Panetta a Saint—or a War Criminal?

David R. Henderson’s Introduction: The first part of this article’s title is absurd, right? How could the head of the CIA, a man who sends drones to kill alleged terrorists and ends up killing not only terrorists, but also many innocent people, be a saint? Well, you probably don’t live in the Monterey area. I … Continue reading “Is Leon Panetta a Saint—or a War Criminal?”

David Frum and the Winds of War

It may be unseemly for a pundit to highlight his own predictive powers, especially in the first sentence of a column, but propriety has never been much of a constraining factor for me, so here goes: No sooner had I written that the High Mucka-Mucks of the “Kochtopus” would jump on the bandwagon of the … Continue reading “David Frum and the Winds of War”

Lessons From the bin Laden Killing

Last week marked an important milestone in the war on terrorism for our country. Osama bin Laden applauded the 9/11 attacks. Such deliberate killing of innocent lives deserved retaliation. It is good that bin Laden is dead and justice is served. The way in which he was finally captured and killed shows that targeted retribution … Continue reading “Lessons From the bin Laden Killing”

The Predators: Where Is Your Democracy?

On May 4, 2011, CNN World News asked whether killing Osama bin Laden was legal under international law. Other news commentaries have questioned whether it would have been both possible and advantageous to bring Osama bin Laden to trial rather than kill him. World attention has been focused, however briefly, on questions of legality regarding … Continue reading “The Predators: Where Is Your Democracy?”

It’s All About Pakistan

With the assassination of Osama bin Laden, US foreign policy – or, rather, the rationale for it – has a giant hole in its very center: the task of the War Party is to fill it, and quickly. Without a human face to put on the Terrorist Threat, without an ever-elusive target to lure us … Continue reading “It’s All About Pakistan”

Shut Up, Rachel

My first reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden was to imagine this meant closure for the American people – that we could put 9/11 behind us, and move on. Talk about naïve! Instead, the country is engaging in an orgy of self-congratulatory hysteria, reliving the darkest moments of 9/11, and blaming Pakistan for … Continue reading “Shut Up, Rachel”

Bin Laden’s Killing Could Alter Af-Pak Policies

Sunday’s killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by a small helicopter-borne team of U.S. Navy Seals could result in significant impacts on U.S. relations and strategy both in Pakistan, where the raid was carried out, and neighboring Afghanistan, where it was launched, according to policy experts. Analysts agreed that the operation, which targeted a … Continue reading “Bin Laden’s Killing Could Alter Af-Pak Policies”

Pakistan Moves to Curb More Aggressive US Drone Strikes, Spying

The Pakistani military’s recent demands on the United States to curb drone strikes and reduce the number of U.S. spies operating in Pakistan, which have raised tensions between the two countries to a new high, were a response to U.S. military and intelligence programs that had gone well beyond what the Pakistanis had agreed to … Continue reading “Pakistan Moves to Curb More Aggressive US Drone Strikes, Spying”