‘Uncategorised’ Archives
US Army Counterinsurgency Field Manual
There is a remarkable 307 page document, Tactics in Counterinsurgency, March 2009, Headquarters, Department of Army Field Manual Interim (FM3-24.2), that is available on the Internet . Although the document is labelled "approved for public release, distribution is unlimited", it is said to have been removed from the US Army's website within a few [...]
Comments on Frost’s Musharraf Interview
In an article in today's Dawn, written before Musharraf's interview by David Frost, San Francisco based economist, Ahmad Faruqui, engages in a "thought experiment" of how Musharraf might respond if asked the kind of tough questions that Frost had put to the deposed Reza Shah of Iran in 1980, and to Richard Nixon of the United States in 1977. Dr. [...]
Transcript of Frost’s Musharraf Interview
In a wide ranging interview with David Frost broadcast on Al Jazeera TV on Friday 24 April, Pervez Musharraf discussed his despondence at what was going on in Pakistan, why he feels that the situation is redeemable (if the government can regain the trust of the people), why terrorism and extremism (along with the economy) remain the main problems [...]
“Should Mr. Zardari be removed?” — Holbrooke
In an article published in The News (12 April 2009) Dr. Farrukh Saleem, a respected analyst who is the executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), reports of a remarkable dinner table conversation at the US ambassador's residence in Islamabad: " Ambassador Holbrooke: 'Should Mr Zardari be removed?' Athar Minallah, [...]
US Sen. Kerry Admits Vietnam Parallel
In an earlier post I had suggested that America's extension of the war in Afghanistan to Pakistan resembled American involvement in Vietnam and Kampuchea. On April 23, 2009, US Senator Kerry admitted that the US position in Iraq and Afghanistan have parallels with Vietnam that the US ignores at its peril. Moreover, he said, that unlike North [...]
Obama’s Likudniks
Events, historians tell us, can be spectacular without being significant. Will Obama’s election as the president of the United States of America spectacular as it has been also be significant? In particular, are we likely to see a significant change in US foreign policy, especially toward the Muslim world? The answer is ‘No’ – largely [...]
On the Day After
This article poses two questions: On the day after US/NATO forces invade and occupy some of Balochistan and Waziristan, ‘What will we say we should have done’, and ‘Why aren’t we doing it now?’ Is this far-fetched? The facts suggest otherwise. Like the US invasion of Iraq, plans for covert operations and military strikes against [...]
