Interesting reading of the day.

“Images of the Pathan” by Dr. Charles Lindholm.

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“This is Ameriya, not Iraq!”

Another superb story from Ghaith Abdul-Ahad about the Sunni militias (“concerned citizens”) who have been the linchpin of American tactical success in Iraq.
A senior Sunni sheikh, whose tribe is joining the new alliance with the Americans against al-Qaida, told me in Beirut that it was a simple equation for him. “It’s just a way to [...]

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State of emergency in Pakistan

General Musharraf has gone ahead and ordered a state of emergency in Pakistan, despite the opposition of a Supreme Court,  which must legally ratify it, and his greatest patron, the United States, which has threatened to cut off aid in case of it.
  The Pakistani leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, declared a state of emergency about [...]

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Obama and Iran

Someone has been reading Flynt Leverett and Ray Takeyh.
Senator Barack Obama says he would “engage in aggressive personal diplomacy” with Iran if elected president and would offer economic inducements and a possible promise not to seek “regime change” if Iran stopped meddling in Iraq and cooperated on terrorism and nuclear issues …
Flynt Leverett’s words of [...]

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Pakistan and its Army

In the wake of events like this and this and this, then listening to the audio file of this event is definitely worth your time.
Shuja Nawaz and COL David O. Smith, “Pakistan and Its Army: A Changing Relationship.”

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