Region Related Event Feeds

Critical Questions for 2012

ian — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

From international security and regional study to global challenges, CSIS experts will address many of the world's most difficult policy concerns and critical questions in 2012. To kick off the new year, we asked 25 of our scholars to identity what worries them most and what are the biggest opportunities in their respective areas of study.

Governance and Militancy in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province

jdunton — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The traditional weaknesses in service delivery within Pakistan’s provincial and district governments have arisen from the complex interplay of several factors. Resource mobilization for essential services has always been a challenge for provincial governments, which typically have been dependent on federal handouts.

Governance and Militancy in Pakistan's Khyber Agency

jdunton — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

In mid-October 2011, thousands of families were fleeing Khyber, one of the seven tribal agencies in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), to refugee camps or relatives living outside of FATA. Their flight was in response to the announcement by the Pakistani military that it was undertaking a fresh round of operations against militant groups operating in the area.

Governance and Militancy in Pakistan’s Chitral District

jdunton — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Chitral, the northernmost district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province, lies at the extreme northwest of Pakistan. It shares a border with Afghanistan’s Badakhshan, Nuristan, and Kunar Provinces to the north and west, with Gilgit-Baltistan region to the east, and with the Kohistan, Swat, and Dir Districts to the south.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan War at the End of 2011

sherry — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The US faces hard decisions in the Afghanistan/Pakistan War that are growing steadily harder as the time before transition runs out, the US faces growing budget pressures, and the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan becomes more unstable. The Burke Chair has prepared a report that assesses the chances for strategic success based on new US government, UN, and NGO reporting.

India and Afghanistan: Positioning for Withdrawal

NLombardo — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Today, with U.S. and NATO forces beginning their withdrawal from Afghanistan, the historical sequel to the Soviet Union’s 1989 withdrawal from the country is unfolding. The newest wrinkle in this story is that India is now actively involved and trying to position itself accordingly.

India-Pakistan Trade: Better Late Than Never

ian — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What does Pakistan’s decision to grant most-favored-nation (MFN) status to India mean?

Governance and Militancy in Pakistan’s Swat Valley

jdunton — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In 2009, the Swat Valley became a focal point of Pakistan’s war against militancy and terrorism. The government signed a peace agreement effectively ceding control of the district to the local Taliban faction, allowing it to enforce its interpretation of Islamic law.

The 2010 Flooding Disaster in Pakistan

jdunton — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The catastrophic flooding in Pakistan in 2010 laid bare the multiplicity of fault lines that beleaguer the country as perhaps no other single event in its history.

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Continuing Security Challenges For the United States

ian — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The US confronts a wide range of challenges if it is to win the Afghan conflict in any meaningful sense, and leave a stable Afghanistan and Pakistan:

Competition in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Pakistan

ian — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

US competition with Iran has become the equivalent of a game of three-dimensional chess, but a game where each side can modify at least some of the rules with each move.

Confronting an Uncertain Threat

jdunton — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Qaeda and associated movements (AQAM) have become an increasingly diffuse security threat. Although the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands may have represented the epicenter of global terrorism in the past decade, al Qaeda’s various regional affiliates are growing in prominence.

India and Pakistan: Getting Down to Business?

sherry — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On July 27, 2011, Indian external affairs minister S.M. Krishna and newly installed Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar will meet in New Delhi. This will be the first formal meeting of foreign ministers since the November 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Art of the Possible

jdunton — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On June 14, 2011, more than 200 policymakers and experts participated in an invitation-only, full-day working meeting at CSIS to discuss a constructive, realistic way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The main topics were Afghan governance, the Afghan security sector, and Pakistani cooperation.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part 7: The Problem of Pakistan & the Probability of Grand Strategic Success

sherry — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Burke Chair has prepared a new report entitled The Problem of Pakistan and the Probability of Grand Strategic Success. It is available on the CSIS web site at http://csis.org/files/publication/110627_afghan_metrics_vii.pdf.

The Failures That Shaped (and Almost Lost) the Afghan War

ian — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Burke Chair has prepared a seven-part analytic overview of unclassified metrics, and of how their current content relates to the challenges in policy, plans, resources, and management of the war that now reduce the prospects of victory.

Governance and Militancy in Afghanistan and Pakistan

ian — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The CSIS Program on Crisis, Conflict, and Cooperation (C3), formerly the PCR Project, has studied the link between the rise of nonstate armed groups (or militants, for the sake of simplicity) and the quality of local governance in Afghanistan and Pakistan: whether a link exists and, if so, what the United States can do about it, if anything.

Pakistan: Violence vs. Stability

mentman — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Executive Summary

As the events surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden make all too clear, Pakistan is passing through one of the most dangerous periods of instability in its history. This instability goes far beyond Al Qa’ida, the Taliban, and the war in Afghanistan. A net assessment of the patterns of violence and stability indicate that Pakistan is approaching a perfect storm of threats, including rising extremism, a failing economy, chronic underdevelopment, and an intensifying war, resulting in unprecedented political, economic and social turmoil.

The Afghan War and the Problem of Pakistan

ian — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Pakistan presents a critical challenge to the United States in fighting the war in Afghanistan. The US, ISAF, and Afghan forces are making significant tactical progress, and realistic transition planning is beginning for the first time.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: Part 6: Victory is Possible but "Fragile and Reversible"

mentman — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Current Tactical Gains, Uncertain Strategic Value

After bin Laden: A Chance to Review the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship—without Distractions

rsickles — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The temptation by the United States is to visit immediate consequences on Pakistan for the alliance breaches related to Osama bin Laden. As former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf concluded on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition last Friday, the entire episode exposes either complicity or incompetence by Pakistan’s military, especially its security forces.

Afghanistan and the Uncertain Metrics of Progress: The Status of the War in the Spring of 2011

mentman — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The war in Afghanistan is now approaching its tenth year. In spite of that fact, the US, allied countries, ISAF, and the UN have failed to develop adequate unclassified reporting on the progress of the war, to provide meaningful transparency on the problems and challenge it faces, and to provide a clear and detailed plan for the future.

Bin Laden's Gone: What Now for Defense Policy?

ian — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The death of Osama bin Laden (OBL) at the hands of U.S. special operations forces is a watershed moment for defense strategists. Like the 9/11 attacks, it isn’t really the beginning or end of anything new. The world didn’t change on 9/11. What did change was how the United States and its national security community perceived threats and their likelihood.

What Bin Laden's death means for U.S. policy

mentman — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

For most of the past decade, Osama bin Laden defined U.S. national security policy. Now that the man behind the 11 September 2001 attacks has finally been brought to justice, President Barack Obama has an opportunity to re-shape the direction of his foreign policy.

The Death of Osama Bin Laden, and the Shape of Threats to Come

mentman — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

No American -- or anyone else one who opposes violent, murderous terrorism -- can see Osama Bin Laden’s death as anything but just retribution. We need to be very cautious, however, in assuming that it will now damage Al Qa’ida and other Islamist extremist networks, or that we can predict the political and strategic consequences.

Bin Laden Is Dead: Is It Time to Leave Afghanistan?

sherry — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Minutes after word leaked to the media that President Obama would soon be announcing Osama bin Laden’s death, the comment boards were already filling with cheers of “mission accomplished”—triumphantly by some (“we got him!”), sarcastically by others (Obama’s announcement came eight years to the day after President Bush’s “Mission Accomplishe

Issue Perspective - Vol. 1, Issue 1

mentman — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In this issue:

"India-Pakistan Trade and 'Other Channels of Engagement'" by Amb. Karl F. Inderfurth
India's Stake in a Stable Pakistan by Sunil Khilnani and Arvind Subramanian

Measuring Perceptions about the Pashtun People

jdunton — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Afghanistan and Pakistan are sites of intense conflict—and intense international interest.

PacNet #14 - Logic may help: Pakistan and the FMCT

bMizuno — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

In its first meeting of the year, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) again fell prey to Pakistan’s opposition to the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT). The resolution on the ‘Programme of Work’ for the commencement of negotiations could not be agreed since the 64-member CD works on consensus.

A Threat Transformed

jdunton — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Missing an Opportunity for Building Governance in Post-flood Pakistan

sherry — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Given that the Pakistani government’s handling of the Kashmir earthquake was somewhat of a highpoint in the context of a rather dismal national governance record, there was initial hope, however cautious, that the disaster recovery process in Pakistan might broaden opportunities for building democracy in this chronically unsteady nation.

America’s Wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, And Iraq

amausner — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Attached at http://csis.org/files/publication/101213_Iraq_and_Afghan_Talk_Edited.pdf is a speech given to the discusses the Industrial College of the Armed Forces on December 10th, 2010. It discisses the December Review from a grand strategic viewpoint, as well as the conflict in Iraq. These issue

South Asia Monitor: The Inside Pages: An Analysis of the Pakistani Press

udukkipati — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Pakistan’s press enjoys a wide measure of freedom, though unofficial norms backed up by informal pressure restrict criticism of the Pakistan Army. The Urdu press provides a window on the views available to a mass audience in Pakistan that should worry U.S. policymakers.

The War in Afghanistan

amausner — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Recent reporting by the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan (NTM-A) and the Department of Defense provides added insight into how the course of the fighting tracks with the development of Afghan security forces.

Afghan National Security Forces

jdunton — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

President Barack Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan is critically dependent on the transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). His speech announcing this strategy called for the transfer to begin in mid-2011.

Afghanistan and the December Review

amausner — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400

One should never judge whether the glass is half empty or half full while it is still being poured. The review of progress in Afghanistan due in December 2010 is definitely a case of prematurely assessing the situation and can provide only a limited picture of whether the new strategy will work.

President Obama’s Trip to India

mentman — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: Where does India stand in the Obama administration’s priorities? Why is President Obama going there?

Grand Strategy in the Afghan, Pakistan, and Iraq Wars

amausner — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Grand strategy is not an American strength, and it is far too easy to become obsessed with day-to-day issues. In the case of Iraq, this means a focus on US withdrawal and the formation of a new Iraqi government.

The Uncertain Cost of War(s)

amausner — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The US must make hard choices over the coming year. One will be whether to try turn largely tactical victories in the Iraq War into lasting grand strategic gains by supporting an enduring strategic partnership with Iraq after US forces withdraw at the end of 2011.

Putting the Air War in Pakistan in Perspective

amausner — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

It is scarcely a secret that the US is fighting an air war in Pakistan at at least four different levels. It is using unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) to support US forces in “hot pursuit” in the border area. It is using them to attack Taliban and other insurgent forces near the border to limit their capability to operate in Afghanistan.

The Military Balance in Asia, 1990-2010

amausner — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Burke Chair has developed a new analysis of the military balance in Asia. This report traces developments in the balance since 1990, and provides a detailed comparison of military forces as of 2010.

Reforming ANSF Metrics

amausner — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The new Commanders Unit Assessment Tool (CUAT) for measuring the capabilities of the ANSF represents a significant improvement over the old Capability Milestone (CM) system. The old system was too rigid, too narrowly quantitative, and measured only a handful of relatively unimportant metrics.

The Need for Public Transparency and Integrity

amausner — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

So far, the main impact of the Wikileaks release of some 90,000 classified documents on Afghanistan has been a fruitless search for new headlines and some form of “smoking gun” that reveals a secret no one has known in the past. The net result has been an almost relentless effort to spin largely historical documents into the kind of revelations they don’t provide.

South Asia Monitor: A Difficult Road Ahead: India's Policy on Afghanistan - August 1, 2010

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Common wisdom in Afghanistan says, “The West has all the watches but the Taliban has all the time.” Following the decision by U.S. president Barack Obama in December 2009 to announce that the United States will begin to reduce its presence in Afghanistan by July 2011, the region has taken this as a signal of U.S. disengagement.

Asia's Response to Climate Change and Natural Disasters

jdunton — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

This new report by energy, regional, and humanitarian disaster specialists at CSIS examines the politics of climate change in Asia, the region’s response to natural disasters, and the implications for the future geometry of Asia’s institutions and U.S. policy in the region. The assessment looks broadly at two areas of nontraditional security cooperation in Asia: (1) climate change, including the domestic political factors in Asia and the regional strategies for securing low-carbon pathways; and (2) regional approaches to disaster management. The volume draws on case studies to assess the utility of existing and emerging institutions—the promises as well as the problems—as the United States and the region seek greater cooperation on both traditional and nontraditional security challenges. The authors discuss the problems related to lack of coordination at different levels, the uncertain role of the military, and continuing gaps in resources and expertise in key organizations.

Public Health in South Asia

jdunton — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

South Asia, a region of strategic importance, faces public health challenges on a demographic and geographic scale unmatched in the world. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s population. Even more dramatic, however, these countries are home to two-thirds of the world’s population living on less than $1 a day.

If Petraeus and Eikenberry Can Win

amausner — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

It may be interesting to propose new strategies for the war in Afghanistan, but it is also pointless. The change in the military command in Afghanistan has occurred at a time where the campaign is already underway, and where present strategy has to work, or else the next set of decisions will be the tactics of how to leave.

Reforming ANSF Metrics

amausner — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The development of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is one of the most critical aspects of the war. NATO/ISAF simply cannot bring this war to a successful conclusion without transitioning responsibility for security to the Afghans.

The Afghan War

amausner — Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

No one can visit Afghanistan without seeing both the threat and the progress. After eight years of failing to respond, the US, its allies, and the Afghan government are finally preparing for the kind of campaign that might win the war. The necessary resources are gradually being put in place.

Department of Defense, State Department, USAID, and NSC Reporting on the Afghan War

amausner — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Eight years into the war in Afghanistan, and at a time our country is still involved in two wars, the US government still has failed to establish both transparency and credibility in the way it is conducting either conflict.