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 War
and Terror
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September 2010
War, and another peace plan
The reported killing in a drone attack of Sheikh Fateh al-Misri, al-Qaeda's
chief commander in Pakistan and Afghanistan, indicates the US's determination
to go after foreign militants in tandem with pursuing peace talks with the
Afghan resistance. The Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan led by former Afghan premier
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is already touting its blueprint for the future. - Syed
Saleem Shahazad (Sep 29, '10)
US hope lies in Pakistan
The United States has no strong national interest in how Afghanistan is run so
long as it does not support and espouse transnational jihadism. But it needs
its withdrawal to take place in a manner that strengthens rather than weakens
its influence, and Pakistan can provide the cover for turning a retreat into a
negotiated settlement. - George Friedman (Sep
29, '10)
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Vultures are circling in Pakistan
A crisis between the executive and the judiciary could not have come at a worse
time for Pakistan, reeling from devastating floods, rampant militancy and bad
governance. In the event of the government of President Ali Asif Zardari
falling, politicians of all shades - as well as the military - are making sure
they will be ready. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Sep
27, '10)
Hezbollah looks to Hariri for
payback
Hezbollah is piling pressure on Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri to abolish the
Special Tribunal for Lebanon, established to find the killers of ex-premier
Rafik al-Hariri, over its reported plans to indict some Hezbollah members.
Dismissing the trial as an Israeli project and threatening a veto over funding
that could bring down the cabinet, Hezbollah expects a reward for supporting
Hariri's rise. - Sami Moubayed (Sep 27, '10)
False flags fly over court stay on
Babri
 An
Indian court postponed judgement on rival claims to a site revered by Hindus
and Muslims on which the demolition of the Babri Mosque triggered at least
2,000 deaths, in the hope that differences could be settled out of court. A
more plausible reason for the stay could be fear of communal backlash as India
deals with fallout from the Commonwealth Games mess and prepares for US
President Barack Obama's visit. - Neeta Lal (Sep
27, '10)
COMMENT
The real story of Obama's Wars
Obama's Wars contains hints of another story, the significance of which
seems to have eluded its author, Bob Woodward. The theme is not whether Dick
likes Jane, but whether the constitution remains operative. The constitution
explicitly assigns to the president responsibility for the direction of
American wars. That, at least, is the theory. - Andrew J Bacevich
(Sep 27, '10)
 THE
ROVING EYE
It's Obama vs infinite war
The key - one may say tragic - point of Bob Woodward’s latest court opus Obama's
Wars is that the United States president not only cannot end the Afghan
war, he cannot even downscale it without incurring blowback. Even if Barack
Obama is seriously betting on his exit strategy, the Pentagon wants infinite
war. The corporate media-orchestrated narrative will never tell us why. - Pepe
Escobar (Sep 24, '10)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Why the troops are coming home
United States leaders are trapped inside an old global paradigm. But as an
imperial power in decline, the "global military presence" will crumble and US
troops will start coming home to ordinary Americans who already think it's more
important to mind their own business. In the not so very distant future, it
won't be America's job to "police" the world. That'll be a relief - Tom
Engelhardt (Sep 23, '10)
THE
ROVING EYE
Barack and Mahmud in the groove
There can be no better opportunity for Iran and the United States to talk than
this week's United Nations General Assembly in New York. Against the wishes of
the mullahtariat, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly said he's
open for dialogue, and US President Barack Obama looks to be gearing up too.
They might as well hit the groove before the dogs of war start barking.
(Sep 22, '10)
Al-Qaeda sees opportunity in Kashmir
Unrest in Kashmir continues unabated, with protests against Indian rule firmly
in the hands of unbending youths. Delhi is hamstrung as no one wants to talk,
while Pakistan no longer has its strong influence in Kashmir. Al-Qaeda sees an
opening, and Sunday's attack in the Indian capital could presage more as the
group tries to hijack the Kashmiri struggle. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Sep 21, '10)
An Afghan bone for Obama to chew on
Former senior United States official Robert Blackwill has proved remarkably
prescient over the years in predicting the US's policy shifts, notably with
regard to India and Russia. His radical plan for Afghanistan, in which parts of
the country would be left in Taliban hands, could be a geopolitical coup for
the US; seemingly recent random "happenings" already mesh with the plan. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Sep 17, '10)
Diplomatic flurry over peace talks
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is back on board as diplomats from the United
States to Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates strive to push forward the
nascent peace process between the US and the Taliban. With time running out
before Washington's review of its Afghan strategy, concessions are already
being made. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Sep 17,
'10)
Syrian eyes see peace as a mirage
While United States Middle East envoy George Mitchell trumpets progress to
Israeli-Palestinian peace on a visit to Damascus, Syria takes a different view.
With no reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, no concessions from Israel on
the West Bank, and no Turks on board to steer the way, Syrians see current talk
of peace as nothing but a mirage. - Sami Moubayed
(Sep 17, '10)
AFGHANISTAN IN TURMOIL
'Death to America, death to Obama'
As Wikileaks prepares to unveil a second batch of "Afghan War Diary" documents,
a deeper dig into the first cache unveils the real secret story of the war -
the hardships of ordinary Afghans living under foreign occupation. From
insights into the vibrant local protest movement to locals' reactions to
American military methods and cultural faux pas, much remains to be learned. - Nick
Turse (Sep 16, '10)
New light shed on US's night raids
Official figures on night raids carried out by Special Operations Forces units
in Afghanistan indicate they have been successful in killing or capturing
thousands of Taliban. A sharp fall-off in the proportion of improvised
explosive devices being turned in by the local population suggests the raids
have backfired badly. - Gareth Porter (Sep
16, '10)
Taliban soften as talks gain speed
Preliminary talks between the Taliban and the United States - with the
Pakistani army and Saudi Arabia acting as middlemen - are gathering pace. The
Taliban are prepared to clarify their position on al-Qaeda and global terrorism
so that formal talks with Washington will be internationally acceptable. The
Taliban will also accept a more broad-based political setup in Afghanistan than
they have previously demanded. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Sep 14, '10)
Pakistan's great deluge never
happened
The great floods in Pakistan passed almost unnoticed in the United States,
despite President Barack Obama's assertions that the country is central to
American security. Did Islamophobia play a role? Or was it that Americans have
simply soured on their country's imperial adventures? Whatever the answer, the
failure to inform the public about centrally important global developments is
itself a security threat to the US. - Juan Cole
(Sep 13, '10)
 CHAN
AKYA
The 'tragi-terror' that is Pakistan
With any semblance of a nation essentially washed away in the recent floods,
Pakistan will most likely once again descend into anarchy; to be rescued by the
armed forces in its role as the sole surviving national institution. And the
country's plight remains largely ignored by the United States and Europe.
(Sep 13, '10)
 SPENGLER
Terry Jones,
asymmetrical warrior
That pinpricks like the threat delivered by Florida fringe preacher Terry Jones
to burn the Koran can produce chain reactions shows Islam's vulnerability to
theological war. Just for the sake of argument, suppose that instead of trying
to stabilize the Islamic world, one or two world powers set out to throw it
into chaos. Russia, for one, has urgent reasons to sow discord.
(Sep 13, '10)
AN ATOL EXCLUSIVE
Taliban and US get down to talks
Preliminary peace talks between the Taliban and the United States have begun,
with the Pakistan military and Saudi Arabia acting as go-betweens. A US
concession could be the release of Pakistanis detained at Guantanamo Bay. Much
thornier issues include a continued US presence in northern Afghanistan and
what to do with al-Qaeda, which is busy extending its reach. - Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Sep 10, '10)
THE ROVING EYE
Nobody expects the American
Inquisition
As the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks approached and the land
of the free was still enmeshed in war to combat the rising tide of Islamic
world dominance, a coalition of Republican politicians, talk show hosts and
assorted wackos moved without hindrance throughout the American land, in a
reign of intolerance, bigotry and catchy sound bites. This was the American
Inquisition ... - Pepe Escobar (Sep 10, '10)
There's another side to Obama's COIN
Two new reports by influential groups 
suggest that United States President Barack Obama should reconsider his
counter-insurgency (COIN) strategy in Afghanistan. Views that prospects for
success are dim add to the debate ahead of mid-term elections in the US, with
voters increasingly expressing disfavor with the war. - Jim Lobe
(Sep 9, '10)
Taliban winning hearts - and more
The Taliban in the Tagab district of Kapisa province, north of the Afghan
capital Kabul, have stepped in to prevent men from having to pay exorbitant
fees to the family of a prospective bride. Wedding bells are ringing as a
result, while the Taliban reap a political benefit. - Habiburrahman Ibrahimi
(Sep 9, '10)
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Pakistan stares into a void
Muhammad Nasir from the northwestern Pakistani town of Nowshera lives in a
tented village, penniless after losing his home and job in massive floods. For
the time being, he and his family are being cared for by aid agencies. But for
him and millions of other victims, there is no long-term plan, no vision of
rehabilitation, only a looming void that militants are preparing to fill. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 8, '10)
THE
ROVING EYE
AfPak and the
new great game
As much as Washington may think it's in command, wily Afghan President Hamid
Karzai is playing an attacking game. He has seen the future as a power-sharing
deal in Kabul with no Americans involved. And, as usual, there's never a
mention of the key Pipelineistan game, Washington's real reason to spend US$100
billion a year (and counting) fighting a bunch of Arab jihadi instructors. - Pepe
Escobar (Sep 8, '10)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Will our generals ever shut up?
The US military's creeping influence over the civilian command can be seen in
the ability of generals to launch media blitzes to support their own version of
foreign policy. It's a post-Vietnam Pentagon taking control of the media
battleground, and if the US accepts the skewed visions of these
Caesars-in-waiting, it will only slip deeper into imperial mayhem. - Tom
Engelhardt (Sep 8, '10)
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Al-Qaeda presses a point with Lahore
attack
The incident on Wednesday night in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's Punjab
province, in which at least 35 people were killed and more than 250 injured
after three bombs exploded during a Shi'ite procession, is not an isolated
attack. Al-Qaeda has set its sights on spreading the tribal-based insurgency to
main urban centers. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Sep
2, '10)
Pakistan's military rises to the
fore
The devastating floods in Pakistan will force thousands of refugees to return
to Afghanistan, where they will be welcomed with open arms by the Taliban. This
is alarming to Washington, as is the strong likelihood that militants will
exploit Pakistan's weakness as it slowly recovers from disaster. The only hope
lies in Pakistan's military. - Syed Saleem Shahzad
(Sep 1, '10)
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ATol Specials
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Syed Saleem Shahzad reports on
the Afghan war from the Taliban side
(Dec '06)
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How
Hezbollah defeated Israel
By
Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
(Oct '06)
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Mark Perry and
Alastair Crooke
talk to the 'terrorists'
(Mar, '06)
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The evidence for and against Iran's alleged
nuclear weapons program
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Nir Rosen goes inside the Iraqi
resistance
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Nir Rosen rides with the 3rd
armored cavalry in western Iraq
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Islamism, fascism and
terrorism
by Marc Erikson
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For earlier articles go to:
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