Afghanistan

Reassessing the Evolving al Qaeda Threat to the Homeland

American Strategy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:43:00 -0500

Chairwoman Harman, committee members, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My testimony aims to address the evolving threat from al Qaeda to the homeland, to include the threat from al Qaeda itself, groups affiliated or allied to al Qaeda, and those "homegrown" militants influenced by al Qaeda ideas who have no connections to any formal jihadist group. This testimony does not aim to be exhaustive but to cover the most serious cases of recent years and to provide some overall threat assessment.

Obama Can't Count on Karzai

Kate Schuler — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:48:00 -0500

Before President Obama releases his strategy for Afghanistan, he should think twice about fully re-embracing Hamid Karzai.

By rigging the first round of elections with more than a million fraudulent votes, rigging the second round of elections with more than 500 'ghost' polling places to generate another flood of fake ballots and refusing to reform the electoral system, incumbent President Hamid Karzai abused his office to steal a democratic election from the people of Afghanistan.

Pakistan's Other Problem Area: Baluchistan | TIME

Cecille Isidro — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:51:00 -0400

... based on their prior strategic choices," says Sameer Lalwani, a Pakistan watcher at the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. ...

Former US official: Resignation Over Afghan War is Drawing Support | CNN

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:35:00 -0400

CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen disagreed with Hoh's assessment of Afghanistan. "It's not that our presence there is causing the problem," he said. ...

Taliban Leader Rejects US Attempts to Lure Away Fighters with Money | CNN International

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:23:00 -0400

... very, very temporary allegiance," said Nicholas Schmidle, an expert on the Afghanistan-Pakistan region for the nonpartisan New America Foundation. ...

Al-Qaida Connection: Foreign Passports Linked to Attacks on West Recovered | The Guardian (London)

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:39:00 -0400

Militancy expert Peter Bergen of the New American Foundation said the fact that the passports were found in Taliban compounds showed how the two ...

Pakistan Drone War Takes a Toll on Militants -- and Civilians

Erin Drankoski — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:07:00 -0400

The Obama administration has dramatically ratcheted up the American drone warfare program in Pakistan. Since President Obama took office, U.S. drone strikes have killed about a half-dozen militant leaders along with hundreds of other people, a quarter of whom were civilians.

As a result of the unprecedented 42 strikes by drone aircraft into Pakistan authorized by the Obama administration, aimed at Taliban and al Qaeda networks based there, about a half-dozen leaders of militant organizations have been killed.

Afghanistan Haunted by Ghost of Vietnam | CNN

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:11:00 -0400

Peter Beinart, who recently wrote an article called "Bury the Vietnam Analogy" on thedailybeast.com, has said there is a real sense of national identity for ...

Remote-Control Drone Attacks Risk Losing 'Hearts and Minds' of Civilians in Pakistan| FOXNews

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:50:00 -0400

A new study from the New America Foundation found that with 41 drone strikes under his watch in Pakistan, President Obama has "dramatically increased" the ...

Terrorism Dilemmas Come Down to Kashmir

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:48:00 -0400

The most vital region in this world today, for U.S. interests at least, remains a maze of cloud-shearing piles of rock and sweeping valleys, both checkered by impoverished towns and men clutching AKs-- but this pile is hundreds of miles from Kabul.