Center for a New American Security

On December 4, four militants stormed a mosque used extensively by Pakistan Army personnel and killed 35 people who had gathered for Friday prayers. Among the victims were 17 children. Security forces battled the militants for an hour before three blew themselves up. The attack marked a return to the sort of well-executed, multi-pronged tactics that militants have used against the army on previous occasions. But the choice of target - Muslims at prayer - forced a response from the country's religious establishment.

On the continuing theme of "what Pakistanis think" on various issues, an article in The Nation (a newspaper mostly known for calling out American journalists as spies and forcing them to leave the country) sums up the sheer exasperation quietly expressed by Pakistanis of all walks of life.

Wondered what a Pakistani madrassa actually looks like?

Something like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Londonstani has been getting about.

More to come soon...

Newspapers reported today that the F8 incident reported with much ensuing panic yesterday was a hoax. However, it wasn't long before the small sense of relief was overshadowed by new episodes of death and destruction.

Since I'm new to this town and don't really understand (American) politics, could someone please explain to me why the White House fears growing opposition from the Left on Afghanistan? As I see it -- and again, I am a political ingénue -- the Democrats are going to lose seats in the next midterm elections based on

a) health care reform and

b) other domestic issues, including the deficit.

But Afghanistan?

...at the same time, I don't want to imagine the alternatives to "Senator" and "ma'am" that were running through this brigadier general's head:

This has nothing to do with counterinsurgency, but it's a great piece of sports and political journalism:

Like a tingly spider sense behind his ears, Londonstani felt there was something amiss in the time-space continuum that would only be resolved by his posting on the AM blog today. And, lo, it all became clear; Abu M was off being important again. (or was it Abu Guerrilla looking into a mirror and saying; "Londonstani, Londonstani, Londonstani?)

There was, honestly, little of substance on matters concerning this readership. But the full transcript of Obama's speech tonight can be found here, and the amusing commentary from the Guardian can be found here.

In Londonstani's world there's little worse than an overpaid French or Italian banker complaining about British food and weather while living in London and paying less tax than at home. In the same vein, he likes to avoid complaining about U.S. politics, when he doesn't have to have U.S. politicians in charge of him. However, he's making an exception in the case of this NYT op-ed on how a President Obama might change global perceptions of America because ..