March, 2008

For anyone interested in Iraq, post-conflict reconstruction, the military, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or John McCain (that likely covers everyone who conceivably reads this blog), here's an event

The World Affairs Council Is Proud to Announce An Ambassador Series Event With The Honorable William B. Wood US Ambassador to Afghanistan

Security Policy Forum: Civilian Casualties of War 

Sponsored by The Elliott School of International Affairs, the Security Policy Studies Program, and the Institute of Middle East Studies

The Satellite Imaging Corporation posted a flyover video of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility on its website. Take the aerial tour here.

A recent pre-election poll in Zimbabwe showed the challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai, with an 8 point lead going into today's election:

• Morgan Tsvangirai - 28.3%
• Robert Mugabe - 20.3%

Hezbollah's rocket arsenal now includes weapons capable of reaching the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem corridor and as far south as Beersheeba or Dimona, the Associated Press reports.

Kevin Drum provides a useful cheat sheet to the factions involved in the latest round of fightin

The Peace Operations Policy Program (POPP) of George Mason University and the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre (PPC)

Invite you to a conference on

Canadian/United States Engagement in Afghanistan: An Analysis of the “Whole of Government” Approach

15-17 April, 2008

George Mason University
Arlington Campus, Original Building, Room 329
3401 North Fairfax, Arlington Virginia

USIP Public Event
Date and Time
Monday, April 7, 2008
10:00 AM- 12:00 PM

Note Location
Renaissance Mayflower Hotel
Georgia Conference Room, 2nd floor
1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036-3011

In its September 6, 2007 report to Congress, the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq stated that Iraq's Interior Ministry was "dysfunctional and sectarian" and the National Police should be "disbanded and reorganized." The report was consistent with press reports that sectarian militias were in control of the Ministry and the National Police were engaged in sectarian violence.

How did this happen? What has happened following the report? A panel of experts will address these questions.

The African Development Bank: Recommendations from the High Level Panel
Hilton Washington Embassy Row, Ambassador Room, 2015 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

Featuring
The Right Honorable Paul Martin
Former Prime Minister of Canada and Member of Parliament for LaSalle-Émard, Montreal, Quebec

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin, who recently visited Pakistan, mentions the PCR Project's event last week featuring a teleconference with Afrasiab Khattak, the Provincial President

This morning PCR Project Co-Director Rick Barton spoke on NPR’s Morning Edition on how the “U.S. Works to Tighten Military Ties with Pakistan.” Click here for audio.

The Shah Jahan mosque in Sindh, Pakistan.

Photo courtesy of Flickr under the Creative Commons License.

The PCR Project hosted a teleconference with political party officials from Pakistan, who shared their views on Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy and the approaches their parties are advocating.

Featuring:

Ahsan Iqbal, Information Secretary/Chief Coordinator for the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), Lahore, Pakistan

On Monday, at the World Forum on the Future of Democracy at the College of William and Mary, Robert Gates enthralled crowds with his historical perspective on U.S. foreign policy, past and present.

In yesterday’s NY Times Magazine, Noah Feldman wrote an article detailing the controversy surrounding Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan William’s statements regarding the inclusion of Islamic and Orthodox Jewish courts in handling marriage and divo

Our own Rick Barton appeared on the Diane Rehm show this morning on the Monday, March 17th, 2008 edition. Audio available here.

Iraq War Five Years On

On Friday, March 14th Ambassador Charles Ries, U.S. Minister for Economic Affairs and Coordinator for Economic Transition in Iraq reviewed current challenges to Iraq’s economic growth in the post-surge environment at a PCR Project event.

One of our favorite bloggers, Hassan Abbas (Watandost), published this op-ed in The News on March 15, 2008. Abbas describes the role of the Intelligence community in Pakistan and demonstrates why and how he believes it should be reformed. An interesting piece with some great information. Enjoy:

Reform of Pakistan’s intelligence services; Part III

Saturday, March 15, 2008
Hassan Abbas

The many crises faced by Pakistan today, ranging from perennial political instability to the rise of religious extremist forces, are partly a gift of intelligence agencies’ various operations (read blunders). A misplaced sense of patriotism, poor organizational management, the presence of a few rogue elements, and at times nothing but sheer incompetence, define the work ethic of our intelligence community. Indeed, they are not solely responsible for the mess Pakistan is in, and on occasions the criticism is exaggerated; they have produced their share of unsung heroes as well.

Reform of this sector desperately needs the attention of the new government before it succumbs to a series of clandestine operations. The deterioration in standards is reversible and these agencies can potentially be a source of strength for democracy and can effectively safeguard the country’s interests.

First, it is pertinent to clearly define what constitutes Pakistan’s intelligence community for the purpose of this article. The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and, to a limited extent, Military Intelligence (MI) fall into this category. The ISI is the largest and the most resourceful of all, the IB is the oldest and, comparatively, the MI is the most professional of all. (That changed to a degree, however, when it was dragged into the political arena in 1989 by General Aslam Beg, who didn’t trust ISI chief Lt-Gen Shamsur Rahman Kallu because he was appointed by prime minister Benazir Bhutto.)

Jason DeParle (NYTimes) writes of Dilip Ratha of the World Bank, and his endeavors in his hometown, Sindhekela, India. The article provides an inspiring perespective on remittances that is worth checking out.

This month’s University for Peace Peace & Conflict Monitor addresses a wider range of topics than usual, including Kosovo’s declaration of independence, the international day for women of colour, the UN Peacebuilding Commission, and the continuing violence in Israel and Palestine.

Husain Haqqani writes an excellent piece in The Nation, describing his hopes for Pakistan regarding the newly formed coalition government. From his perspective, Haqqani thinks the military will take a permanent back seat to politics under the country’s new leaders.

On March 19th, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Washington Roundtable will discuss “Responding to Conflict: International Efforts to Increase Civilian Surge Capacity.”

The Middle East Strategy at Harvard launches MESHNet on April 1, 2008!

And as a follow-on to the post directly below, Adm. Fallon has now resigned.

Photo courtesy of Flickr under the Creative Commons license.

In the Washington Post, Lt. Col. John A. Nagl wrote an article detailing his personal views on what it will take to win the war in Iraq.

UNITED NATIONS PEACEBUILDING REVIEW, 1-7 March 2008

“The Peacebuilding Commission embodies all aspects of the UN’s work:  peace, development and human rights.”
— Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

[Excerpts from news agency dispatches and unofficial transcripts.  PBSO cannot vouch for the accuracy of reports.]

Watandost–a blog known for containing “news and commentaries about Pakistan (and its neighbors) that are intriguing and insightful but often are not part of the news headlines,” featured this article by Pervez Hoodbhoy (Dawn) y

This profile of CENTCOM head Adm. William Fallon has been making the rounds. Most comments have been focusing on his apparent lack of enthusiasm for war in Iran.

The Century Foundation hosted what we consider a timeless event focusing on the role the international community and the U.S. play(ed) in shaping Pakistan's state of affairs.

As previously noted, Congress decides this week if ‘The Reconstruction and Stabilization Management Act (R 1084)’ will pass.

AfP’s 2007 annual meeting and retreat will be held at the Shawnee Inn in Shawnee in Delaware, PA, from October 21 to 23.

Check out this "chart of the US and coalition military fatalities that have occurred in the war in Iraq since the onset, mapped across the dimensions of time and space." Click the "USA" on and off throughout the animation to get a sense of the balance in the multinational coalition.