US, FATA and Afghanistan
	Therefore, for all practical purposes it will be unlikely for the US to have a sizable force, which is required to stabilise Afghanistan and defeat the Taliban. If the US does not have the numbers to stabilise Afghanistan the Americans obviously lack the strength to launch any large-scale incursion into FATA. So what real options does Mr Obama have in this matter? He may either continue with the present holding strategy in Afghanistan while mounting pressure on Pakistan. However, to continue with an endless holding strategy will be politically suicidal for him. If the US withdraws from Afghanistan it would be like transferring power to the Taliban and that would again be something disastrous for the new president. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on November 11th, 2008

	Need for review of US anti-terror policy in Pakistan
	The doctrine of pre-emptive strike against another country which has declared its hostile intent to attack another is well known in the Middle Eastern context with regard to Egypt-Israeli conflicts of the past. Such a doctrine may make sense in inter-state relations where regular military forces keep a watch on one another. However, serious anomalies arise in its implementation when the doctrine of pre-emptive strike is cut-and-pasted into the poorly defined, amorphous world of non-state warriors and their organisations. A UAV strike may kill some terrorists, but is not a policy which "dries the pond that breeds the mosquitoes." More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on November 4th 2008

	Need for review of US anti-terror policy in Pakistan
	The doctrine of pre-emptive strike against another country which has declared its hostile intent to attack another is well known in the Middle Eastern context with regard to Egypt-Israeli conflicts of the past. Such a doctrine may make sense in inter-state relations where regular military forces keep a watch on one another. However, serious anomalies arise in its implementation when the doctrine of pre-emptive strike is cut-and-pasted into the poorly defined, amorphous world of non-state warriors and their organisations. A UAV strike may kill some terrorists, but is not a policy which "dries the pond that breeds the mosquitoes." More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on November 4th 2008

	Talking peace with militants
	The opposition parties have demanded that Pakistan should delink itself from the war and stop partnering the US. However, no one is willing to spell out how our enormous problems will be resolved even if the policy was changed? I guess we are emotional in our utterances and out of touch with the geostrategic reality facing us. The plain fact is that Pakistan has so seriously mishandled its external relations that it will find it difficult to get help. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on Oct 21st 2008

	America's exit strategy in Afghanistan
	The difficulty of reaching a settlement with the Taliban in Afghanistan or within Pakistan is contained within this dynamic of spilling of Pakhtun blood during the October 2001 invasion. The perception that the Western forces wanted to eliminate the Pakhtun has become further entrenched with increasing collateral deaths caused subsequently. There have been so many innocent people killed in this war that one shudders to think how this matter can be resolved within the conceptual framework of "badal," or revenge in Pakhtun society? The spate of suicide attacks in Pakistan is largely the consequence of collateral deaths which are being incessantly caused by military operations. Frankly, this is a dilemma to which there is no easy solution. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on October 18th, 2008

	Is it our war or not?
	If Pakistan is to survive it must shun Jihadism, end proxy wars, build peace with India and ban private armies. We must rebuild a Pakistani identity based on our local culture. It is for these reasons that I say that the existing conflict is not America's war but ours. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on October 4th, 2008

	Significance of the Marriot bombing
	It is now generally acknowledged that the militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan have mastered the art of communication operations. These operations aim to shift the perception of Pakistanis and the Islamists around the world in their favour. The Marriot bombing is in the nature of an announcement that aims to challenge the Pakistani official claims of ascendency in Bajaur and Swat. It is a statement telling the Pakistani political elite that the war and cooperation with US will cost them dear. The Marriot operation in the final analysis is an attempt to win the heart and mind battle against Pakistan. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on Sept 27th, 2008

	Pakistan’s dilemma in FATA
	The final denouement with the Wazir occurred when a new military commander having little back ground of tribal character, ordered retaliation against them in Kalusha on March 18th 2004 for giving sanctuary to foreigners. It is a historic event because it was on this fateful date that an innocent general devoid of knowledge about local customs challenged the Wazirs. The fire lit by that mistake has ignited into a full fledged insurgency in FATA, which has now expanded to NWFP. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on Sept 16th, 2008

	The future of the Pakistan-US friendship
	US unilateralism has persuaded many Pakistanis to believe that the US does not really care what the impact of its actions will be on Pakistan or its citizens. Clearly a reliance on a strategy which leads to more collateral deaths whether by Pakistan or US is a bad policy in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the people. More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on Sept 10th, 2008

	Winning Hearts and Minds
	One is not for war and would wish an end to the killing but if there has to be a cease fire then the militants must surrender their core leaders and weapons and promise to end all violence. Secondly, this narrative clearly suggests that implementation of Pakistan’s security policy after the guidelines have been fixed should not become a part of the political calculus More » Posted by Khalid Aziz on August 31, 2008