Indo-Pacific

Contradictions in Counterinsurgency: U.S. Drone Strikes in the Tribal Areas

By Brendan Boundy

U.S. and Pakistani anti-Taliban operations along the AfPak border are plagued by contradiction, recent reports say.  A counterinsurgency doctrine emphasizing population protection that also relies upon unmanned armed drones will inevitably kill innocents in addition to terrorists.

General Jehangir Karamat Event Transcript

  SHUJA NAWAZ:  Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  My name is Shuja Nawaz; I’m the director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council.  On behalf of Fred Kempe, the president of the council, I’d like to welcome all of you to our very special ambassadorial discussion today on the challenge of militancy for […]

China-India Relations: An Unresolved Border and 60,000 Troops Deployed

By Damien Tomkins

When two countries have gone to war over an unresolved border and one of these announces the deployment of 50,000-60,000 troops and nuclear-capable combat planes along this border, the reader would likely expect the second country to sit up and take notice.  This is exactly what happened over the last month between India and China.

The Americanization of Afghanistan Continues

By James Joyner

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and senior American officials have sought for months to allay European fears about an “Americanization” of the mission in Afghanistan.  Today, however, it became all but a fait accompli.

North Korea Tests: Why? What Now?

By James Joyner

Over what, for Americans, was a long holiday weekend, North Korea tested another nuclear device and followed that up by firing two more short-range ballistic missiles, moves sure to heighten fear among its neighbors and further isolate the regime.   The question most observers are asking is Why now?

McChrystal, COIN and Drones

By Bernard Finel

The firing of General McKiernan in Afghanistan and his replacement with General McChrystal has prompted some interested debate and discussion. Three of the arguments that emerged are of particular interest and deserve further comment.

NATO Should Help in Pakistan

By Leo Michel and Shuja Nawaz

Pakistan needs help.  President Asif Ali Zardari and army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, who were publicly urged last month by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to “recognize the real threats to their country,” have sent a considerable military force to staunch the spreading extremist threat in the Swat region near Afghanistan.

In Pakistan, Great Expectations … As Yet Unfulfilled

By Shuja Nawaz

Last week’s tripartite summit in Washington, D.C. during which President Barack Obama hosted President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan was a lot like a Chinese meal.

General John Craddock Event Transcript

FREDERICK KEMPE:  Greetings.  I’m Fred Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council, and it’s a pleasure for me to welcome you all to this installment, a very important installment, of our Commander Series, which is one of the most popular things we do here, bringing some of the leading U.S. and European commanders to […]