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Pakistan's protocol to survive as a nation state has been subverted by the United States and a corrupt Pakistani ruling elite. Policies invented in Washington are alien, albeit some look good on paper. Until the USA manipulated the situation Spring - Fall 2009 to a new disequilibrium, the levels of death, and chaos were much lower than at present. A barely manageable refugee situation enlarged beyond all reason and now exceeds two million displaced persons.
US policy deliberately ignores the Russian experience and derives in part from Britain. This policy has no track record, is alien to the region and will fail in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The capture of several Taliban commanders in Pakistan during February, 2010 did not provide the United States with leverage one might expect - see recent articles about this situation below. The trust bridge between the Taliban and the Pakistan ISI has now been destroyed. Bringing the Taliban into negotiation, and then to peaceful participation in the political process of either Pakistan or Afghanistan, is no longer an option.
Be certain to read the bio/profile of Syed Saleem Shahzad who is the author of many of these articles. He is uniquely positioned to report on the Taliban, and is recognized world wide for his insightful commentary and interviews with Taliban leadership. This reading list will be updated every few weeks. The war in Pakistan one of the most important events of our time. This conflict is helping to reshape power politics at the highest level, and the future of the United States foreign policy. The cataclysmic floods that engulfed Pakistan in August, 2010 have threatened the integrity of Pakistan as a nation-state: see last Section of this reading list.
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If you only read one article from this list, this is It.
Jul 17, 2009 / By Pepe Escobar / Kashmir: Ground zero of global jihad
"There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief"
Bob Dylan, All Along the Watchtower.
This bibliography will be updated as important analysis and commentary are published. Bookmark and check back once a month, at least. Read more, get smarter!
The BIG PICTURE -
January 10, 2009 - Suburban Emergency Management Project (SEMP) /
FATA, NWF Province, Pakistan: Threat Center of the World
October 19, 2009 - by Peter Bergen, Katherine Tiedemann, New America Foundation /
Analysis of Drone Strikes in Pakistan
October 26, 2009 - Jayshree Bajoria / Pakistan's New Generation of Terrorists
November 25, 2009 - by Greg Bruno /
The al-Qaeda-Taliban Nexus
January 11, 2010 - by NDTV Correspondent / Pak handlers instructed terrorists on phone
January 19, 2010 - by Gary Leupp: Blowback of the Drones
February 7, 2010 - by Pratap Chatterjee / Destabilizing Pakistan
Mar 6, 2010 - by M K Bhadrakumar / Natural law brings AfPak crashing
Mar 18, 2010 - by Syed Fazl-e-Haider / Iran-Pakistan pipeline inches nearer reality
Jun 15, 2010 - by Syed Fazl-e-Haider / Pakistan seals pipeline deal with Iran/a>
Mar 23, 2010 - by M K Bhadrakumar / A spy unsettles US-India ties
Apr 9, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan's divides grow ever-deeper
May 4, 2010 - by Spengler / General Petraeus' Thirty Years War
May 2010 - by Owen Bennett-Jones / Pakistan Taliban recruiting / why successful? / - Why Successful? / On BBC Web Radio News.
Jun 18, 2010 - by Zahid U Kramet / Pakistan seethes at bad-boy image
Jul 13, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Al-Qaeda aims to cash in on Kashmir
Sep 9, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan stares into a void
Sep 22, 2010 - by Syed Fazl-e-Haider / Pakistan plans nuclear power surge
Sep 28, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Vultures are circling in Pakistan
BACKGROUND and CONTEXT
January 2008 - K.P.S. Gill / India - Backgrounder on Conflicts
January 13, 2010 - Wikipedia / Al-Qaeda
January 15 , 2010 / Wikipedia / Taliban
January 16 , 2010 / Wikipedia / Pashtun People
January 19, 2010 / Wikipedia / Jamaat-e-Islami
January 14, 2010 - by Jayshree Bajoria / Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure) 1; and n.d./ anonymous - Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure) 2
Aug 4, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / US's $1bn Islamabad home is its castle
September 17, 2009 - by Jed Bickman / The US on a new mission in Pakistan
Sep 25, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Obama makes a plea for Pakistan
Oct 7, 2009 - by Jim Lobe / US stands right beside Islamabad
October 20, 2009 - by Tariq Ali / Obama is Only Making It Worse / Farce in Kabul, Tragedy in Pakistan
Oct 23, 2009 - by Zahid U Kramet / Islamabad dismayed by 'dithering' US
Oct 30, 2009 - by Andrew F Tully / Strong messages in Pakistan
Nov 6, 2009 - by Pepe Escobar / UNDER THE AFPAK VOLCANO, Part 1 / Welcome to Pashtunistan
Nov 7, 2009 - by Pepe Escobar / UNDER THE AFPAK VOLCANO, Part 2 / Breaking up is (not) hard to do
Dec 1, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / US stalls as Pakistan drifts
Dec 5, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / US takes hunt for al-Qaeda to Pakistan
Jan 5, 2010 - by Rahimullah Yusufzai / Waziristan war in critical stage
Apr 16, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Khyber side of the land of the Pakhtuns
March 26, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / War and peace: A Taliban view
March 30, 2010 - by Bennett Blumenberg / Harrowing Aftermath of a Suicide Bomb in Pakistan
May 6, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Terror roads lead back to Pakistan
May 21, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan torn over North Waziristan
Jun 11, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Renewed threat to Afghan supply line - 140 NATO trucks and trailers damaged or destroyed by Taliban attack.
Jun 11, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Bloody fight over Taliban lifelines - 3,000 madrassas
July 21, 2010 - by Zahid U Kramet / Jihadis set to spill over into Kashmir
Sep 14, 2010 - by Chan Akya / The 'tragi-terror' that is Pakistan
Sep 14, 2010 - by Bennett Blumenberg / Why the Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan are Designed to Never End.
The DRONE WAR
USAF Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - Wikipedia Profiles / MQ-1 Predator; and
MQ-9 Reaper
September 17, 2009 - by Jed Bickman / "You Should Know That We All Hate Americans"
November, 2009 - by Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann, New America Foundation / Revenge of the Drones I; and Revenge of the Drones 2
Dec 3, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan moves to drone independence
January 24, 2010 - by Nick Turse / The Forty-Year Drone War
Feb 5, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / US fires off new warning in Pakistan
May 8, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / US takes the war into Pakistan
June 2, 2010 - Interviewer: Greg Bruno, Interviewee:
Micah Zenko / Raising the Curtain on U.S. Drone Strikes
June 24, 2010 - by Tom Engelhardt / The Perfect American Weapon
July 19, 2010 - by Greg Bruno / U.S. Drone Activities in Pakistan
FIGHTING the TALIBAN and AL QAEDA
Jul 14, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Taliban will let guns do their talking
Jul 16, 2009 - by Michael Kugelman / Tread lightly with Pakistan's lashkars
Aug 8, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Baitullah: Dead or alive, his battle rages
Aug 11, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Guessing games over Taliban leader
Aug 12, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / More of the same for Baitullah's fighters
August 13, 2009 -by Brian M. Downing / After Mehsud succession and the Pakistani Taliban
December 07, 2009 -by Tariq Afaq and Shams Momand / 10 dead, 45 injured in Peshawar suicide blast
December 23, 2009 / by Riaz Khan / Suicide bombing kills 3 at Peshawar press club
Oct 7, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan goes for militants' jugular
Oct 23, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Where Pakistan's militants go to ground
Oct 15, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Al-Qaeda's guerrilla chief lays out strategy
Nov 18, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Militants change tack in Pakistan
Dec 24, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Al-Qaeda's sights on Pakistan, and beyond
Feb 3, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Taliban take on the US's surge
February 6, 2010 - by Moin Ansari / Unmasking America's hidden war in Pakistan or 'Why they hate us'?
February 16, 2010 - by Mark Mazetti and Dexter Filkins / Secret Joint Raid Captures Taliban's Top Commander
Feb 17, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan delivers Taliban's Top Commander
Feb 24, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Cross-border militants strike back
Mar 2, 2010 - by Gareth Porter / Pakistan holds onto its Taliban
Mar 26, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / War and peace: A Taliban view
April 5, 2010 - by Ismail Khan, Sabrina Tavernise / U.S. Consulate in Pakistan Attacked by Militants
April 9, 2010 - by David S. Rohde, Greg Bruno / No Pakistani government control beyond Pakistani military bases in Waziristan
Apr 15, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / U.S. Consulate in Pakistan attacked by militants / Suicide Mission went all wrong
Apr 13, 2010 - by Habiburrahman Ibrahimi / Peace process futile, says ex-Taliban leader
Apr 24, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Bomb in Bangalore attack bears Pakistani 313 Brigade signature
Apr 24, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Confessions of a Pakistani spy
Apr 29, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Showdown looms in North Waziristan
May 4, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / al-Qaeda is pulling the strings in North Waziristan
May 4, 2010 - by Gareth Porter / Pentagon map belies Taliban's sphere
May 11, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Militants in no mood to talk
May 11, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Militant splits span AfPak border
Jul 3, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Peace sacrificed in shine attack
Jul 8, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Al-Qaeda's new man eyes Pakistan
Jul 21, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan - al-Qaeda to a high-level insurgency
Jul 27, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistani students prefer guns to books
Aug 5, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Al-Qaeda meddles while Karachi burns
Aug 12, 2010 - by Tariq Ali / What They've Been Up to is No Secret - Pakistan and the Taliban
Sep. 3, 2010 - by by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Al-Qaeda makes a point with Lahore attack
BALUCHISTAN and JUNDULLAH
Aug 7, 2009 - by Raja Karthikeya / Jundullah a wedge between Iran, Pakistan
Sep 16, 2009 - by Ajai Sahni / Drama in a theater of despair
December 30, 2009 - by Stewart J. Lawrence / Baluchistan and the Af/Pak War
Feb 25, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Iran gets its man
March 13, 2010 - by Mahan Abedin / Iran's spies show how it's done
Mar 13, 2010 - by Amineh Soghdi / Arrest of Iranian Sunni Islamic militant Abdulmalik Rig
July 22, 2010 - by Abubakar Siddiqu / Burning issues in troubled Balochistan
PAKISTAN ARMY, ISI and WAR
May 2, 2009 - by Fareed Zakaria / Pakistan's military has lost every conventional war
October, 2008 - Moin Ansari / Pakistan to US: No pay-No play: Tough lessons in geography!
Jul 18, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan wields a double-edged sword
August 5, 2009 - by Gareth Porter / U.S. Officials Protect Pakistan Aid to the Taliban
Oct 7, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Â Pakistan goes for militants' jugular
Oct 10, 2009 - by M K Bhadrakumar / Pakistan warns India to 'back off'
Nov 6, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / US puts its faith in Pakistan's military
Nov 20, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Nuclear fallout rocks Pakistan
Nov 25, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan's military stays a march ahead
Dec 3, 2009 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan at odds with Obama's vision
December 2, 2009 - by Shahid Alam / The Groveling of Pakistani Elites / Native Orientalists at the Daily Times
December 18-20, 2009 - by Stewart J. Lawrence / Pakistan's Refugee Disaster
Jan 8, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / General alert in Pakistan
Jan 15, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan's military makes a stand
Feb 9, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan's military sets Afghan terms
Feb 10, 2010 - by Chietigj Bajpaee / India papers over cracks with Pakistan
Mar 9, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan delivers but doubts remain
Mar 31, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Moscow metro blasts / Pakistan roots?
Apr 1, 2010 - by Pepe Escobar / Moscow metro blasts / The Black Widow Riddle
June 30, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Explosive mood in Pakistan
Jul 8, 2010 - by Brain Cloughley / Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban
Jul 16, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan cracks the whip
Jul 26, 2010 - by Saeed Shah / Pakistan spy agency denies backing Afghan Taliban
Jul 28, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan has its own battle to fight
FLOODS, SUMMER 2010
Aug 6, 2010 - by Associated Press / Pakistan says 12 min affected
Aug 11, 2010 - by Syed Fazl-e-Haider / Pakistan floods drown economy hopes
Aug 14,, 2010 - by BBC / Latest on Pakistan Flood, one hour BBC radio program.
Aug 27-9, 2010 - by Tariq Ali / Floods for Pakistan; Floods of Money
For its Leader
Sept 1, 2010 - by Simon Roughneen / Flood relief falls short in Sindh
Sept 2, 2010 - by Syed Saleem Shahzad / Pakistan's military rises to the fore
Sep 14, 2010 - by Juan Cole / The great deluge never happened
September 16, 2010 - by Patrick Cockburn / Pakistan Flood Survivors Now Face Threat of Malaria
September 24 - 26, 2010 - by Patrick Cockburn / After the Flood
Six Million Pakistanis Have Lost Everything
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Status September 29, 2010
