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Protecting U.S. Supply Lines in Afghanistan

"[I]n paying off Afghans to protect our supply lines, we have created a vast slush fund for bribery, extortion, heroin trafficking and murder. And it's all but certain that some of the money ends up in the pockets of the Taliban. In other words, we're paying for the bullets and bombs that kill our own soldiers." TIME

How Does Victory Look for General Petraeus?

"The war must be won by civilians and off the battlefield. Victory this time may well be an orderly disengagement for the United States and the prevention of the ‘descent into chaos' in both Afghanistan and Pakistan." Shuja Nawaz | The AfPak Channel

'Karzai is increasingly looking to Pakistan to end insurgency'

"President Hamid Karzai has lost faith in the US strategy in Afghanistan and is increasingly looking to Pakistan to end the insurgency, ...." The Guardian

Is Afghanistan 'Medieval'?

"The weakness of President Hamid Karzai that has led many journalists to dub him the "Mayor of Kabul" is little different structurally from those medieval European kings, who also held their capitals but did not rule their people. Similarly, Karzai's adoption of a patrimonial model of the state, in which offices and resources are redistributed on a personal basis to buy the support of existing power-holders or play them off against one another has more in common with the Holy Roman Empire than the European Union. In some ways, therefore, a thorough understanding of medieval power politics and how rulers came to centralize state authority would be of greater value to the international advisors sent to the Karzai government than a background in constitutional law or regulatory reform. At least in medieval Europe, the centralized state emerged victorious." Thomas Barfield | Foreign Policy

Why Pakistan needs the Separation of Religion and State

Juan Cole in the context of atrocious attacks on Ahmadi places of worship in Lahore| Informed Comment

Israel Grateful for U.S. Role in Watering Down UNSC Statement

"Although Israel has not issued any official reaction, the officials saw three main changes between the first draft circulated by Turkey and the final draft adopted, which they credit to the work of the U.S. delegation. First, there was no mention of an independent investigation. Second, there was no time limit placed on the investigation. Third, there was no direct condemnation of Israel. " U.S., Israeli officials scramble to contain blowback from flotilla raid | The Cable

How Turkey Tamed Its Army

"But though Turkey is a nation of faith, just like the United States, the country has little or no appetite for radicalism or theocracy, even among the most religiously conservative segments of society. On the contrary, major religious conservative elements such as the AK Party and the Gulen movement are openly pushing for more democracy in Turkey. Under AK Party rule, Turkey has met the Copenhagen political criteria, which determine if a country is eligible to join the European Union, and subsequently began accession talks with the EU in 2005. The Gulen movement sponsors its annual Abant Platform series of talks, where a diverse group of intellectuals and public officials discuss how to improve the country's democracy. They are not without fault, but militarists treat almost every influential pious group as Islamists with a hidden agenda. " Foreign Policy