June, 2008

As part of our series on poorly understood religious leaders in conflict zones, we bring this piece by CSIS Burke Chair holder Dr.

Designing a New Cabinet-Level Department for International Development:  Modernizing the Structure of U.S. Foreign Assistance   
 

Full details after the jump.

Rick Barton appeared on CNN yesterday to discuss Iraqi oil contracts going to Western companies:

TODD: Are these agreements, no-bid contracts, according to "The New York Times," tantamount to the spoils of war?

During his introductory remarks today, Representative Vic Snyder pointed to the following chart on page 21 of the PRT report to highlight the convoluted command structure for PRTs in Afghanistan.

Many guests at today's event featuring Representative Vic Snyder hav

Last Friday we welcomed Patrick Cockburn, author of Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq.

This article on how the internet/Google may be altering the way we think is great. It describes a physiological change akin to when we changed from memorizing things to writing them down, writing to typing, etc.

The Washington Post has the Defense Department video of the U.S. air strike across the Pakistani border:

In advance of our event this Friday, where we'll be hosting Patrick Cockburn, author of Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq, check out this review of the book from the Washington Post.

After reading Ahmed Rashid's Descent into Chaos, (notes on book below) you cannot help but admire a man who transcends biases and presents an authoritative and comprehensive account of U.S. involvement in nation-building in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.

On Friday, June 6th, the PCR Project and USIP hosted a discussion with Mr. Rashid who delivered a rich and informative overview of his book and views. Mr. Rashid demands a routing out of Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan before government-led negotiations continue with the militants. He explained that a government should not (and historically would not) talk with a guerrilla force unless that guerrilla force is losing—leaving the government with the upper hand.

Mr. Rashid believes that in order for a U.S. strategy to work, the United States must help bring an end to the Kashmir issue with India. As long as the Pakistan military is tied down to the traditional security threat presented by Kashmir, it will not give its full attention to the growing militancy in the NWFP and FATA. Concentrating on the Kashmir issue, he argues, should be part of a new U.S. regional strategy, interlocking problems of the region as a whole.

Mr. Rashid went on to tackle questions from the PCR Project Co-Director Rick Barton, followed by questions from an expert audience, moderated by J Alexander Thier, Senior Rule of Law Advisor, USIP. Please click here to watch the video.

Below is a compilation of notes on the book written by myself and PCR Project research assistant, Mark Irvine. Please browse the notes--hopefully they will encourage you to read the book:

SPIEGEL Online International had an interview with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on June 2nd.

"Are We Outsourcing Our National Security?”

WHEN:  June 18-19, 2008
WHERE: National Defense University, Marshall Hall, Room 155, Ft. McNair, Washington, DC

Ahmed Rashid, the acclaimed author and award-winning journalist is presenting today at CSIS, on the subject of his new book, Descent into Chaos: The Failure of Nation-building in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia .

Contributed by Mehlaqa Samdani, adviser to the PCR Project, CSIS

Ahmed Rashid's new book, Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, comes out today and we're fortunate to host him

In the second part of the series, NPR profiles the person tasked with managing Karachi's growth and development, the city's energetic mayor, Syed Mustafa Kamal:

Harvard University is launching a new online course and discussion forum on humanitarian law and policy developed by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research. The course ties in nicely with our work on Responding to Catastrophes: Improving U.S. Capacity for Disaster Risk Management, Early Warning? A Review of Conflict Prediction Models and Systems, and the launch of two new CSIS portals: Disaster Prevention & Response and Stabilization & Reconstruction. Please read below for more information.

NPR aired a segment this morning on rural migration to Karachi, a city whose population has ballooned to upwards of 12 million people. NPR's Steve Inskeep will file reports from Karachi all week, kicking off a new series that explores urban life around the world.

AFRICOM, which begins operations on October 1, has run into resistance from African countries reluctant to host U.S. personnel and suspicious of the motives behind the new command structure:

(Click to enlarge)