Democracy and Society » Pakistan

MENAPIA

Barak — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:59:43 +0000

I was writing about the broader Middle East tonight (i.e., the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan) and my language was very unwieldy. The problem is that we don’t have any term that refers to these countries, despite their importance (singly and as a group) for US foreign policy. The Arab world doesn’t work as Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are not Arab countries. The Muslim world doesn’t work because lots of Muslims live outside these countries (think India, Indonesia, and Nigeria). The best I can think of is to use an acronym. Everyone knows MENA (Middle East and North Africa), so how about MENAPIA (Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan)? I like it because it rhymes. MENAPIA, MENAPIA!

Contextualizing the flood

Barak — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:26:32 +0000

In a recent issue of Democracy and Society, MA in Democracy and Governance alum Jack Santucci made the astute observation that climate change is likely to cause severe governance and security challenges in some of the world’s weakest and most fragile states. The floods in Pakistan are a good example of his point.

Apres le deluge

Barak — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:30:47 +0000

Ahmed Rashid argues that Pakistan’s natural disaster could lead to a major governance and security crisis.

Suicide bomb rocks AfPak border

Barak — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:47:50 +0000

60+ dead; > 100 wounded

Thinking before acting is a good idea

Barak — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:33:21 +0000

Readers of this blog know that I am not a fan of the war in Afghanistan. That being said, I am not on board with the increasing calls that we leave. It’s not that I think its a good idea to stay or a bad idea to leave. Rather, the answer is I don’t know what would happen and that’s a problem.

Leaving Afghanistan could lead to renewed civil war between the Pasthun (i.e., Taliban) and non-Pasthuns (an Afghan solution for certain, but likely a very bloody one). It could lead to greater meddling by other countries in the region, primarily India, Iran, and Pakistan. Either could be highly destabilizing and most certainly could have consequences for the US (e.g., increasing tension between India and Pakistan). If parts of this sound familiar, they should because some of this happened the last time the US hastily abandoned Afghanistan after the Soviets left. Perhaps the negative consequences of these scenarios don’t justify pouring more money into the country. I don’t know the answer to these questions and until we get some clarity on them, calls to leave Afghanistan strike me as irresponsible.

The crux of the problem

Barak — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:40:56 +0000

James Traub:

America’s stake in the well-being of Somalia does not make Somalia’s problems any easier to cure.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen are suitable replacements for Somalia in the above phrase.

If I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist

Barak — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:39:22 +0000

I do not think the best way to protect “the fundamental principles of Islam” is by denying people access to information.

Friends without benefits

Barak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:09:28 +0000

Trying to track the relationships between the major forces in Afghanistan is making my head spin. Consider:

ISAF is supporting Karzai’s government against the Taliban.
Karzai wants to negotiate with the Taliban.
Pakistan is ISAF’s partner (remember the West Point speech?).
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is BFF with the Quetta Shura, the Taliban supreme leadership council, headed by Mullah Omar.
India (like Pakistan) is an ally of ISAF and the Karzai government.
Part of the reason Pakistan supports the Taliban in Afghanistan is to get cooperation on fighting India.
Iran, apparently, supports both Karzai and the Taliban.

How did we let ourselves get dragged into this mess?

New kids on the Kush

Barak — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:05:03 +0000

One problem with the war in Afghanistan is that its getting increasingly difficult to determine who is on what side.

Militarizing foreign aid

Barak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:59:04 +0000

While this will probably lead to higher budgets, it also will make clear that US foreign aid is not a tool of US foreign policy, but national security. Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan are the new normal.