September, 2008

Update II: Agence France Presse says the reports are false and Mehsud is alive, but "seriously ill with diabetes and may even be in a coma" according to "security officials and militant commanders close to the Al-Qaeda-linked warlord."

The tribesmen in Pakistan’s tribal belt have had enough.  Frustrated by their government’s inability to thwart the dual threat emanating from the Taliban and from U.S.

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) has recently launched a new blog, here & there, that deals with many of the same thematic issues brought up in the PCR Project Report, Mixed Blessings.  The relationship between g

Call for Papers for the 67th MPSA Conference,  April 2-5, 2009,  Palmer House Hilton, Chicago

Submission Deadline: October 10, 2008.   www.mpsanet.org
Please forward this Call for Proposals to faculty or graduate students you think may be interested.

Please remember to submit a proposal to present at the 2009, MPSA National Conference. With over 900 sessions and over 3,000 papers, it is one of the largest in the discipline; all subfields within Political Science are represented. We are always interested in offers from experienced researchers who are willing to serve as a discussant or chair.

Full details after the jump.

Excellent peacekeeping resources can be found at the Zentrum für Internationale Friedenseinsätze’s (Center for International Peace Studies) website.

Around 8 p.m. local time in Islamabad on Saturday, Pakistan outside of the popular Marriott Hotel, a truck carrying more than half a ton of explosives erupted in flames and minutes later exploded, killing at least 53 and wounding 266.

Stephen Del Rosso's essay on the role U.S. foundations play in the peace and security field is now available. The article surveys the approaches various foundations have taken and offers an illuminating discussion of lessons learned as foundations adapt to the changing international landscape:

Today's New York Times editorializes about the risks in the U.S. policy of cross-border attacks into Pakistan against Taliban and al Qaeda targets, warning that "there is a real danger of miscalculation that would be catastrophic for both countries." Stressing the importance of Pakistan's leadership i

During electi

Karin von Hippel was quoted in a UPI article about the attack on the U.S. embassy in Yemen. As an element of the counterterrorism effort, she calls for a broader U.S. initiative in Yemen that expands economic and governance assistance programs:

Reporting on Pakistan: Media Perspectives and Challenges

9/16/08- Woodrow Wilson Center

Panelists included:

• Zaffar Abbas- Resident Editor, Islamabad Bureau, Dawn Newspaper
• Massoud Ansari- Political Correspondent, Herald Magazine

PCR Project Co-Director Karin von Hippel recently published an article in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, "A Counter-radicalization Strategy for a New U.S. Administration." 

Federally Administered Tribal Areas

Full details after the jump.

Does the U.S. government have a new weapon that is a military leap forward akin to the introduction of the tank and the airplane in the last century?

Rick Barton appeared on NBC Nightly News last night discussing U.S. cross-border incursions into Pakistan. He remarked that "the greatest danger [of continued U.S. commando raids] is that the Pakistanis who have been an ally of ours are going to say they are not on our side any longer."

There is a new publication out by Stewart Patrick that I encourage everyone to check out. U.S. Strikes in Pakistan

On Monday, several explosions occurred in northwestern Pakistan, hitting both a house and seminary. Reports vary; some said 4 explosions occurred, others said 5. Initial casualty reports were a low as 6, others as high as 23. “Maj. Murad Khan, an army spokesman, confirmed blasts in the village of Dande Darba Khel, in the North Waziristan tribal area about 2 1/2 miles west of Miran Shah.

As part of Oxfam America’s Smart Development Briefing Series, the second lecture was held today at the Cannon House Office Building to discuss Development Success Stories: What Works and Why? The three panelists brought different perspectives to the lecture; however, there were several striking themes which penetrated the discussion. These broader ideals are lessons we can all learn and take with us when operating in the development sphere. 

Each panelist presented a case study that they believed represented developmental success. That term, “development success”, was later defined by panelist member Carlisle Levine as sustainable poverty reduction. Dr. Michael Carter of the University of Wisconsin chose to speak about developmental success in north Kenya. He focused on the creation of Productive Safety Nets, which he explained were mechanisms put in place to help keep individuals above the “critical threshold.” A critical threshold represents the number of livestock a family must own in order to support itself. Carter explained that current aid programs provide these families with $15 a month, but that it may actually do more harm than good. The families that receive this money often gain no ability to earn it themselves and have no incentives to change their behavior. They become dependent on these funds. The problem is when the funds stop coming, who is supposed to support these families then? This is where his Productive Safety Nets come into play. He explained that through satellite imagery you can predict, up to 80%, of expected livestock casualties that will occur in a given region. This is important because aid agencies working with the Kenyan insurance companies were able use this satellite evidence for an insurance payout. This is an example of pre-emptive food aid which will help to keep these families above the poverty line at a much lower cost ($7-$8 per year, instead of $15 per month) and provides families with the ability to provide their own income. The one caveat to his example is that it must include long-term commitments by the aid agencies. Long-term funding is not something often seen in the aid world, and he believes that this is a key element to ensuring the success of aid programs.

This past July, Wilton Park hosted a conference on Implementing the Responsibility to Protect: The Role of Regional and Subregional Partners. They've just released the conference report, which can be found here.

Asi Ali Zardari, presidential candidate and Co-Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), speaks directly to an American audience today with an op-ed in the Washington

Below are some thoughts about the Crossed Swords Book Event which was held 9/3/08 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Shuja Nawaz, author of the recent book on Pakistan’s army Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within, presented today at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The book was hailed by the moderator, Ashley Tellis, a Senior Associate at Carnegie, as being an “even-handed and balanced” account from a “detached insider” perspective. Fellow panelist Polly Nayak also commented that the book was an “inside-out study” that thoroughly captured the complexities of the Pakistani army.

Full details after the jump.

On Monday, September 1, 2008, Anbar Province officially became the 11th transfer of provincial authority from U.S. military control to Iraqi security forces.  Two years ago, Anbar Province had been identified as the most insecure and deadly region in Iraq for U.S. and coalition forces.

See the Interview with CSIS PCR Project Co-Director Rick Barton on The World, BBC. 

Anbar Province was an ideological stronghold for al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and a hotspot for the Sunni insurgency up until 2006, when al Qaeda insurgents began targeting and killing prominent local sheiks who had met with U.S. officials.  The break between the tribal leaders and al Qaeda in Anbar Province became known as the “Anbar Awakening.”  With backing and financial support from the U.S. military, the Awakening Councils mobilized Sunni tribesmen to drive out al Qaeda in less than two years.