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Fresh out from the Washington Independent: My read of Ahmed Rashid’s excellent new book about the U.S.’s failures in Central Asia, Descent Into Chaos.
The key mistake of U.S. strategy in central Asia, from Rashid’s perspective, was to confuse momentary success for lasting stability. Pakistan and Afghanistan are inextricably linked — their border, the so-called Durand Line, is an unsealable fiction of the map drawn by British imperialists in the 19th century — and yet U.S. policy-makers treated them as distinct problems.
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Very interesting to listen to as well on some more current developments. Be about a year before I’ve cleared my reading list for that book though.
For reporting where he does on who he has for 30 years I wonder if they wouldn’t mint him just some 2 tonne bronze testicals as a lifetime achievement award. Just roll em down some red carpet to him, Indiana Jones style.
Fuck those development funding numbers are a discrace. I’m having a hard time believing they’re real.
One thing I noticed last month looking at the committed/fulfilled funds for reconstruction projects was that Australia’s committed more funds than Saudi Arabia to date. I wonder how much funding they’ve dropped into “school” developments over the border in the same period.
As for central asia being the main front for terrorism, been a long time since it took that crown. You’d have a full time job just reading the news reports that roll through the South Asian Terrorism Portal like it’s a stock ticker.
That’s pretty misleading. First of all, her family requested there be no autopsy, so is the government not conducting supposed to suggest they were in league with her family on this ?
Second of all, did the government also deny responsibility for the other 15 suicide bombings (most targetting the government) which used the same techniques, explosives and triggers from the same manufacturing batch that were used to kill her ?
Hell of a way to create a cover story. Kill yourselves in suicide bombings for the best part of a year just to deflect attention.
@Kilo, I don’t think it’s misleading at all. It’s true that the family didn’t request an autopsy, but Rashid documents extensively how the first responders on the scene were firemen washing the scene down with hoses. And then Musharraf also ostentiously denied international investigation teams and only allowed Scotland Yard in after the pressure got to be too much.
Okay. And what do those truths assembled as they are suggest ?
Something completely contrary to what you can read Steve Coll reporting about the numerous islamic militant groups that were not only targetting Bhutto but Mushy as well ?
McClatchy’s reporting of the physical evidence which ties her bomber’s materials to 15 other bombings, most of which targetted the Mushy govt, security forces and political figures ?
Not at all misleading you say. Straight face ?
BTW, first responders to the bombing of a vehicle hosed it down ? I’d be surprised if there weren’t 100,000 accounts of the same thing available for any time there is a fire and vehicle involved. Certainly seems to be standard practice for any fire dept work I’ve seen. WTF else would they have done, bust out marshmallows ?