Preponing Afghanistan to 2013: Cause and Effect

Defence Secretary Panetta’s airborne disclosure of a 2013 winding down of combat operations in Afghanistan, one year ahead of schedule, has baffled political and military analysts world over. While it appears to be a political judgement in the election year, it has much wider ramifications for the region.

Why the West is Losing Wars and the Peace?

The Indian experience of winning hearts goes to prove that the Indian approach has delivered every time in dealing with the nuances of wearing heart on its sleeves. Today the situation in Kashmir is far better than in any other proxy war led situation in the world. India has a lot to teach the world about fighting among people by resorting to a multi dimensional humanitarian approach.

Pakistan’s General Problem

How Pakistan’s Generals turned the country into an international disaster by Mohammad Hanif HOW TO AVOID A COURT MARTIAL: Pervez Musharraf (bottom centre) and his colleagues should have been court martialed for inflicting the Kargil mission on Pakistan — a humiliating defeat and a diplomatic disaster. Instead, he elevated himself to become the country’s President [...]

The Afghanistan Draw Down

As President Obama took office he shifted focus from Iraq to Afghanistan. However two years down the line his promised surge and draw down have yet to reduce any tangible results. Training the Afghanistan Security forces(ASF) was the prime ticket for the draw down. The primary hypothesis for the ISAF troops to begin the withdrawal [...]

Salman Taseer’s Assassination and Pakistan

Major Agha Amin (Retd) The assassination of Salman Taseer is a marginal issue for the vast bulk of Pakistan’s population. This is so because Pakistan’s common man is going through the darkest part of Pakistan’s economic history where mere survival has become difficult for him! It would not be wrong to say that Pakistan is now a [...]

Af Pak – Come September

Af Pak Events The intensity of war in Af-Pak has picked up considerably in September beginning last week of August. The pattern indicates flexing of muscle by the Punjabi Taliban and TTP across Pakistan. The numbers in Pakistan include 108 civilians, mainly Shia minority, killed and 400 wounded. In Afghanistanthe coalition forces were able to kill 64 “terrorists” of [...]

As August 2010 Ambles Away

War in Iraq The writing was on the wall with Obama formally announcing an end to the war in Iraq. “We are turning a new page in history”, he said. The next page is obviously the drawdown in Afghanistan in July 2011. Apparently this page has been turned without as much thinking through as was [...]

Switch off Iraq – Press on Afghanistan

Obama’s watered down version of “Mission Accomplished” statement originating from the Oval office, rather than a warship on high seas, is indicative of a lot that America has endured in Iraq and is likely to endure in Afghanistan. These wars were not Obama’s choices but inheritance. Inheritance that he was well seized of when he took the plunge for [...]

Politics of Pakistan Floods

This is a satellite picture of the devastating path of the Indus that has rendered 4 million homeless and affected 20 million. This NY Times imagery gives a bird’s eye view of the extent of the calamity. Putting the pieces of this devastation back would be a herculean task for any government. Especially a government [...]

NATO in Afghanistan – Between Rock and a Hard Thing

These faces of war in Afghanistan are a grim reminder that the Taliban are evolving their tactics better than the ISAF in this war on terror. The increased levels of sophistication and expertise in using IEDs and conduct of guerrilla warfare indicates the tenacity and vibrancy of the so called backward Taliban to contest all that is [...]

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