In The News

Obama’s Afghanistan-Pakistan Quandary – Part I

Ashley J. Tellis April 13, 2009
During the long election campaign, then candidate Barack Obama criticized President George W. Bush for dropping the ball in Afghanistan to devote military resources to Iraq. Now President Obama is trying to find the right course in Afghanistan. In the first of this two part YaleGlobal series, Carnegie Endowment scholar Ashley J. Tellis writes that President Obama’s decision to continue the fight...

Pakistan: The Militant Jihadi Challenge

March 30, 2009
As the US and NATO prepare to step up military action to blunt extremism along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the International Crisis Group presents analysis on the extent of the challenge: “that the Pakistani Taliban is an outgrowth of radical Sunni networks in the country’s political heartland is too often neglected.” Extremist networks provide weapons, recruits and financing for attacks on...

Hillary Clinton Admits US Role in Mexico Drug Wars

Jo Tuckman March 27, 2009
Mexico is a source as well as major transshipment point for most of the illegal drugs moving into the US – a trade route marked with thousands of cases of torture, murder and ruined lives. Yet American teenagers and college students do not connect their casual use of marijuana and cocaine at lively, secure campus parties with the brutal violence on display throughout Mexico. During a visit to...

Afghan Strikes by Taliban Get Pakistan Help, US Aides Say

Mark Mazzetti March 27, 2009
Trusting an alliance with divided allegiances is difficult, if not impossible. Pakistan is a US ally in the fight to control Afghanistan, but evidence has emerged that Pakistani military intelligence operatives provide support for Taliban attacks on foreign troops. “The support consists of money, military supplies and strategic planning guidance to Taliban commanders who are gearing up to...

The Downside of Letting Robots Do the Bombing

Mark Mazzetti March 26, 2009
Washington is mulling the long-term implications of using drone robots – missiles attached to remote-controlled planes – to kill enemies in combat, reports Mark Mazzetti for the New York Times. The drones attack Al Qaeda leaders hiding in remote regions of Pakistan without endangering US troops, Mazzetti writes, yet are “the antithesis of the grinding, patient and high-risk counterinsurgency...

Deals With Taliban Could Be Dangerous

Peter Bergen March 12, 2009
Military intervention alone cannot resolve the unrest and violence that stem from illiteracy, inequality and poverty. With that in mind, the US considers approaching more moderate members of the Taliban to join on a political solution for troubled Afghanistan. Reporting for CNN, analyst Peter Berg offers nine reasons why such negotiations might not work, including a weak central government in...

US and Global Security: An Interview with Admiral William J. Fallon

March 6, 2009
Admiral William J. Fallon, former commander of US Central Command, analyzes the ongoing US role in Iraq and Afghanistan, including criticisms about troop numbers, in this interview with Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal editor. Fallon also describes security matters related to Pakistan, Iran, China and Japan. The consequences of any military action can extend far and wide, and Fallon notes: “I think one...