Another U.S.-led assassination on its soil angers Pakistan

Another U.S.-led assassination on its soil angers Pakistan

It’s become a somewhat familiar story in the war on terror: The United States was presented with strong evidence that one of its highest-valued terrorist targets was inside Pakistan and exposed, so they assassinated him. In response, Pakistan rails against what it says is a breach of its sovereignty. Although there have been several instances […]

Pakistan hints Mansour may have been in Iran before U.S. drone strike

Pakistan hints Mansour may have been in Iran before U.S. drone strike

A passport found at the site of a U.S. drone attack targeting Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour bears the name of a Pakistani man named Wali Muhammad and carries a valid Iranian visa, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. The ministry did not directly comment on the possibility that Mansour might have been […]

Why many people in Pakistan support American drone strikes

Why many people in Pakistan support American drone strikes

The policeman was there when I woke at dawn. He had slept outside my room, not in a chair or on the faux-leather sofa, but slumped against the door. The reason was simple. This was Dera Ismail Khan, a Pakistani town on the road to the tribal areas and their assortment of al-Qaeda terrorists and thuggish Taliban […]

A Nuclear Exchange by India and Pakistan – A Real Possibility

A Nuclear Exchange by India and Pakistan – A Real Possibility

A “pink flamingo” is a term recently coined by Frank Hoffman to describe predictable but ignored events that can yield disastrous results. Hoffman argues that these situations are fully visible, but almost entirely ignored by policymakers. Pink flamingos stand in stark contrast to “black swans“—the unpredictable, even unforeseeable shocks whose outcomes may be entirely unknown. […]

The Pakistani doctor who reportedly helped the CIA find bin Laden is still stuck in prison

The Pakistani doctor who reportedly helped the CIA find bin Laden is still stuck in prison

This Sunday marked five years since a team of US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden during a CIA-led raid on the al-Qaeda leader’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The agency celebrated by tweeting details about the raid as though it were happening live. One person whose name didn’t make it into the CIA’s tweet storm: Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor who reportedly helped the […]

Navy SEALs Facing a Glut of Publicity Since Osama Bin Laden Raid

Navy SEALs Facing a Glut of Publicity Since Osama Bin Laden Raid

“We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to violence on our behalf.”              That quote has been applicable since almost the beginning of time; certainly since the formation of nation states. The most well-known example of modern times will celebrate its anniversary this month, five years after assaulters […]

Afghan President Blames Pakistan for Sheltering Taliban

Afghan President Blames Pakistan for Sheltering Taliban

In the wake of last week’s Taliban attack on a government intelligence building–which resulted in 64 deaths and 347 injuries–Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on Pakistan to cease its support for militants. “The enemies of Afghanistan are Daesh, al-Qaeda, the murderous Haqqani network, and some of the Taliban who enjoy shedding the blood of their countrymen,” Ghani said […]

The Pakistani Army’s Coup Against Itself

The Pakistani Army’s Coup Against Itself

Media leaks have revealed that Pakistan’s powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif has sacked at least twelve senior army officers because of their involvement in ‘corruption’. The army has not provided more details about the nature and scale of corruption these officers were involved in. This is an extraordinary development given the fact that the military, the […]