Also Read
Police expect Mumbai-style terror attack on City of London by David Leppard in The Sunday Times.
Iraq insurgents ‘hack into video feeds from US drones’ at the BBC News website.
U.S. ramps up aerial spying for Afghan surge, reported by Reuters.
Diplomat: Pakistan holding up some U.S. visas, reported by the Associated Press at msnbc.com.
U.N. Officials Say American Offered Plan to Replace Karzai by James Glanz and Richard A. Oppel Jr. in The New York Times.
Grunts from the front: From Roman tablets to army blogs by Bija Knowles in The Independent.
Indo-Pak Games in Kabul by Jyoti Malhotra in Khaleej Times.
The Palestinians’ opposite poles by Howard Schneider in The Washington Post.
Allow Afghan women to give massages: Swedish army adviser by Paul O’Mahony in The Local.
On a Wing and a Prayer: The A400M by Bjoern Seibert in Foreign Policy.
How We Invaded Afghanistan by General Oleg Kalugin, formerly of the KGB, at Foreign Policy.
US special forces train Yemen army as Arab state becomes al-Qaeda ‘reserve base’ by Damien McElroy in The Telegraph.
Hard-line Pakistani schools lure foreigners by the Associated Press at msnbc.com.
Afghan promises to insurgents often empty by Griff Witte in The Washington Post.
What Indian leaders can learn from the US Defense Secretary in Gates’s Trip Hits Snags in Two Theaters by Elisabeth Bumiller in The New York Times.
How Osama bin Laden Escaped at Foreign Policy.
Obama’s Indecent Interval by Thomas H. Johnson and M. Chris Mason at Foreign Policy.
Homeland Insecurity by Daniel Byman at The Wall Street Journal.
Taliban shadow officials offer concrete alternative by Griff Witte in The Washington Post.
Gossiping taxi driver source of Iraq 45-minute WMD claim by Michael Evans in The Times.
Pakistan Told to Ratchet Up Taliban Fight by David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt in The New York Times.
Afghan Army Offers Raise, And Recruits Flock to Join by Elisabeth Bumiller in The New York Times.
The Chicago Suspect: Are Pakistani Jihadis Going Global? by Bobby Ghosh in Time.
The AfPak Train Wreck by Conn Hallinan at Foreign Policy in Focus.
Playing the India card in Afghanistan by Lawrence Sellin at UPI.
We Need India’s Help In Afghanistan by Marshall M. Bouton and Alyssa Ayres at Forbes.
Too few troops, too much spin by Tony Blankley at The Washington Times.
As Boeing Hits Turbulence, Uncle Sam Flies to Its Aid by Daniel Michaels at The Wall Street Journal.
Seychelles tries to defend territory against pirates by Jean-Marc Mojon of AFP in The Telegraph.
The Demons That Haunt the Pakistanis by Sabrina Tavrnise in The New York Times.
Corrupt, untrained, underpaid, illiterate: the forces waiting to take over Marie Colvin in The Times.
India, Pakistan and the Battle for Afghanistan Ishaan Tharoor in Time.
Obama Shrinks the War on Terrorismby Peter Beinart in Time.
BBC obtains Pakistan’s charges against Mumbai accused at the BBC website.
U.S. Marines launch major Afghan offensive at msnbc.com.
McChrystal: Let militants quit ‘with dignity’ at msnbc.com.
Karzai says he’s willing to talk to Taliban chief at msnbc.com.
Behind the politics, Afghan army has a mountain to climb in The Guardian.
President Obama’s Afghanistan Escalation Speech at Foreign Policy in Focus.
US may cede authority to locals, not Karzai’s army by Reuters.
Barack Obama facing backlash over Afghanistan troop surge in The Telegraph.
Why India needs an intelligence revamp by Brigadier S K Chatterji at Rediff.com.
Afghan officials fear talk of U.S. exit strategy at msnbc.com.
Pullout From Afghanistan to Begin in 2011, Officials Say by David E. Sanger and Peter Baker at The New York Times.
Obama’s Speech on Afghanistan to Envision Exit by David E. Sanger, Eric Schmitt and Peter Baker at The New York Times.
Obama Sets Faster Troop Deployment to Afghanistan by David E. Sanger and Peter Baker at The New York Times.
Obama informs top diplomatic, military officials of Afghan decision at CNN.com.
34,000 troops will be sent to Afghanistan by Karen DeYoung and Scott Wilson at The Washington Post.
U.S. offers new role for Pakistan by Karen DeYoung at The Washington Post.
Lack of coordination leaves bin Laden at large by Golnar Motevalli at Reuters.
Obama’s Afghan “surge” sets sights on Kandahar by Ismail Sameem at Reuters.
Afghan plan to test limits of nation-building By Keith B. Richburg of The Washington Post.
Special forces provide unique abilities in Afghanistan by Tom Coghlan in The Times.
Russia warns NATO over Afghan cooperation by David Brunnstrom at Reuters.
Addicted to Contractors by Allison Stanger in Foreign Policy.
a href=”http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/12/01/money_cant_buy_america_love”>Money Can’t Buy America Love by Andrew Wilder and Stuart Gordon in Foreign Policy.
Afghanistan Is Still Worth the Fight by J Alexander Thier in Foreign Policy.
Can the Taliban Be Wooed to Switch Sides? by Mark Thompson in Time.
Can a ‘Loyalty Oath’ Ensure the Allegiance of Afghans? by Nick McDonell in Time.
Triumph of the Turks by Owen Matthews and Christopher Dickey in Newsweek.
Navy regularly releases Somali pirates, even when caught in the act by Nick Britten in The Telegraph.
Yaroslav Trofimov’s exhaustive article Soviets’ Afghan Ordeal Vexed Gates on Troop-Surge Plan in The Wall Street Journal.
Pakistan: two questions, multiple realities by Nirupama Subramanian of The Hindu.
Taliban Open Up Front in Once-Quiet Afghan North by Carlotta Gall in The New York Times.
Pakistan’s president facing military anger over his U.S. ties by Saeed Shah of McClatchy Newspapers.
Daniel Pearl’s murder accused and militant exchanged by India for the passengers of flight IC-814 made hoax calls to Zardari to provoke war, reports Azaz Syed of Dawn.
Estimated Nuclear Weapons Locations 2009 by Hans M. Kristensen at the Federation of American Scientists Strategic Security Blog.
Mumbai attacks: One year on by Praveen Swami, writing for the BBC News website.
Stephen Tankel’s argument as to how India’s 9/11 could happen again, at Foreign Policy.
Manik V. Suri’s argument that the Mumbai attacks should create A New Alliance between India and the United States, at Foreign Policy.
Blackwater’s Secret War in Pakistan by Jeremy Scahill at The Nation.
George Gavrilis offers The Tajik Solution for consideration as a model for fixing Afghanistan, at Foreign Affairs.
India’s Guard Is Up, but Weaknesses Remain by Lydia Polgreen and Vikas Bajaj at The New York Times.
Surge targets Taliban Bastion by Michael M. Phillips in The Wall Street Journal.
Pakistan indicts Mumbai suspects reported by Al Jazeera.
Pakistani army officer arrested for alleged link to Headley terror plot by Saeed Shah of McClatchy Newspapers.
Why Afghanistan’s politics are stranger than fiction by Hugh Sykes of BBC Radio 4.
UK Defence Secretary: President Obama’s delay is hampering Afghanistan campaign by Michael Evans of The Times.
Under a Single Roof by Brigadier SK Chatterji (retired) in The Telegraph.
UK anger as America refuses to share F-35 software codes by David Gardner of The Daily Mail.
Obama’s Forgotten Friends by Tunku Varadarajan at The Daily Beast.
A Year After Attacks, India Grapples With Security Fears by Peter Wonacott and Geeta Anand in The Wall Street Journal.
Pakistan conspiracy theories stifle debate by Ahmed Rashid on the BBC News website.
Amateur Hour at the White House by Leslie H. Gelb of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Militants could be invited to Afghan “Jirga” by Peter Graff of Reuters.
Obama to reveal Afghan decision ‘within days’ at msnbc.com.
Obama braces for tough sell on Afghan policy by the Associated Press at msnbc.com.
Afghan road builder’s dream now a dead end by the Associated Press at msnbc.com.
A Warehouse Holds Families’ New Memories in Afghanistan by Alissa J. Rubin in The New York Times.
The mystery of Dr Aafia Siddiqui by Declan Walsh in The Guardian.
Iraq report: Secret papers reveal blunders and concealment by Andrew Gilligan in The Telegraph.
As Afghans Resist Taliban, U.S. Spurs Rise of Militias by Dexter Filkins in The New York Times.
Afghan pullout is ‘election ploy’ by Gordon Brown by Michael Smith in The Sunday Times.
First female helicopter crew takes on Taliban by Michael Smith in The Sunday Times.
China’s Noisy Nuclear Submarines by Hans M. Kristensen at the Federation of American Scientists‘ website.
CIA chief gives India clues to main 26/11 Pak brain by Neena Gopal in The Asian Age.
John Lee argues for Barack Obama and Manmohan Singh to say as little as possible when they meet in Washington next week, in Foreign Policy.
The Al Qaeda Diaries by Imtiaz Gul in Foreign Policy.
Afghan governor turned 3,000 men over to Taliban by Damien McElroy in The Telegraph.
David Headley: Quiet American with alleged links to Mumbai massacre by Jeremy Page in The Times.
Karzai’s Cronies, a photo essay put together by Jordana Timerman and David Kenner at Foreign Policy.
Myra MacDonald of Reuters analyzes the Lashkar-e-Taiba threat after the Chicago arrests in the context of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai last year.
A softer approach to Karzai by Rajiv Chandrasekaran in The Washington Post.
US: Expert who infuriated India offered key post by Aziz Haniffa, writing about Christine Fair, at Rediff.com.
Arrests in Chicago drive home global nature of terrorism threat by Peter Slevin and Spencer S. Hsu in The Washington Post.
Indian PM Manmohan Singh’s interview by Lally Weymouth of The Washington Post on the even of his visit to the US.
Cyberwarfare: The Issue China Won’t Touch by Simon Elegant in Time.
Think Again: Africom by Elizabeth Dickinson in Foreign Policy.
The BBC reports Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah ‘has escaped’ to Afghanistan.
Why South Waziristan offensive won’t help US in Afghanistan by Mark Sappenfield in The Christian Science Monitor.
An insurgency swells, but Pakistan focuses on India by HDS Greenway in The Boston Globe.
Canada’s military peers into future, and it’s scary by Allan Woods in The Star.
Pakistan Begins Offensive Against Taliban by Zahid Hussain and Matthew Rosenberg in The Wall Street Journal.
Pakistan army begins ground assault on Taliban in South Waziristan in The Telegraph.
Islamic militant groups join forces in new threat to Pakistan by Michael Knigge in Deutsche Welle.
Can Pakistan survive the Taliban? by Max Fisher in The Atlantic Wire.
Is Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal At Risk? by Mary Louise Kelly of National Public Radio.
Pakistan civilian-military ties hit new low by Ahmed Rashid on the BBC website.
Karzai Aide Says Afghan Runoff Vote Is Likely by Elisabeth Bumiller and Sabrina Tavernise in The New York Times.
Pakistan prepares for South Waziristan offensive against Taliban by Dean Nelson, Javed Siddiq and Emal Khan in The Telegraph.
Jobs vs. bottom line in mega military project by Kari Huus at msnbc.com.
Missile Mystery in Beijing by Hans M. Kristensen at the Federation of American Scientists website.
Barack Obama furious at General Stanley McChrystal speech on Afghanistan by Alex Spillius in The Telegraph.
Al Qaeda’s Diminished Role Stirs Afghan Troop Debate by Matthew Rosenberg and Siobhan Gorman in The Wall Street Journal.
Pakistan has forces, equipment for Taliban assault: U.S. by Adam Entous of Reuters.
Two Arguments for What to Do in Afghanistan by Peter Bergen and Leslie H. Gelb in Time.
Report Cites Firefight as Lesson on Afghan War by Thom Shanker in The New York Times.
The Distance Between ‘We Must’ and ‘We Can’ by James Traub in The New York Times.
Report Says Iran Has Data to Make a Nuclear Bomb by William J. Braid and David E. Sanger in The New York Times.
In Anbar, U.S.-Allied Tribal Chiefs Feel Deep Sense of Abandonment by Anthony Shadid in The Washington Post.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad revealed to have Jewish past by Damian McElroy and Ahmad Vahdat in The Telegraph.
New al-Qaeda ‘body bombs’ that can beat airport security are alarming terror experts by Leonard Doyle in The Telegraph.
Greg Jaffe’s piece, ‘Almost a Lost Cause’, about one of the deadliest attacks of the Afghan war being a symbol of the U.S. military’s missteps, in The Washington Post.
The Other Ticking Clock in Iran by Christian Caryl in Foreign Policy.
Iran, Major Powers Reach Agreement On Series of Points by Glenn Kessler in The Washington Post.
Iran Agrees to Transfer Uranium Abroad by Marc Champion and Jay Solomon in The Wall Street Journal.
White House Eyeing Narrower War Effort by Scott Wilson and Anne E. Kornblut in The Washington Post.
Swat Valley civilians turn to arms as uneasy peace takes hold by Declan Walsh in the Guardian.
‘Different’ Afghan strategy urged by General Stanley McChrystal on the BBC website.
The E.U. Georgia report: Nobody looks good in Foreign Policy Passport.
The Return of the Non-Aligned Movement? by Anton Caragea in Foreign Policy in Focus.
The Next Chinese Revolution by Daniel Lynch of the Far Eastern Economic Review at the Council on Foreign Relations website.
White House Starts Review of Afghan Strategy by Peter Spiegel and Jonathan Weisman in The Wall Street Journal.
Group Behind Mumbai Terror Still Viewed as a Major Threat by Lydia Polgreen and Souad Mekhennet in The New York Times.
Think Again: Lawrence of Arabia by John C. Hulsman in Foreign Policy.
U.S. Says Taliban Has A New Haven in Pakistan by Pamela Constable in The Washington Post.
When Gates stared down the F-22 lobbyists by Gordon Lubold in The Christian Science Monitor.
What Else Is Iran Hiding? by Nima Gerami and James M. Acton in Foreign Policy.
Obama’s Iran Trap by Blake Hounshell in Foreign Policy.
US accepts Hamid Karzai as Afghan leader despite poll fraud claims by Giles Whittell in The Times.
U.S. Aims To Isolate Iran if Talks Fail by Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post.
Diverse Sources Fund Insurgency In Afghanistan by Craig Whitlock in The Washington Post.
A Nuclear Debate Brews: Is Iran Designing Warheads? by William J. Broad, Mark Mazzetti and David E. Sanger in The New York Times.
New North Korean Constitution Bolsters Kim’s Power by Choe Sang-Hun in The New York Times.
U.S., Allies Seek New Ways to Sanction Iran by Joe Lauria, Jay Solomon and Farnaz Fassihi in The Wall Street Journal.
British general supports request for 40,000 new troops in Afghanistan by Jerome Starkey in The Times.
China makes it illegal to discuss independence for Xinjiang by Malcolm Moore in The Telegraph.
Iran given one last chance to talk on nuclear programme by Richard Spencer and Alex Spillus in The Telegraph.
Thinking About Afghanistan by Steve Coll in The New Yorker.
Taliban Widen Afghan Attacks From Base in Pakistan by Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzetti in The New York Times.
Top General Denies Rift With Obama on Afghan War by Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt in The New York Times.
Afghan officials live in fear of Taliban assassins by Kay Johnson of the Associated Press.
U.S. scrambling to come up with new Afghanistan plan? by Barbara Starr at CNN.com.
Congress Presses on War Plan by Yochi J. Dreazen, Neil King Jr. and Peter Spiegel in The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. al Qaeda Cell Suspected by Cam Simpson and Evan Perez in The Wall Street Journal.
Frustration over Obama’s Afghanistan strategy by the Associated Press at msnbc.com.
Taliban suspected of stockpiling ‘missing’ Afghan opium by Paul Armstrong at CNN.com.
Indian Minister Urges Afghan Political Settlement by Joe Lauria of the Wall Street Journal.
Canada issues terrorism warning for travelers to India by CanWest News Service at Canada.com.
Is Afghanistan the New Africa? by Ellen Knickmeyer at Foreign Policy.
Losing the War of Exhaustion by Mark T. Kimmitt at Foreign Policy.
Obama’s Eminence Grise by Brian Winter at Foreign Policy.
Why the war in Afghanistan cannot be won by Hugh Gusterson in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
The Purpose of the Afghan War by Robert McMahon in the Council on Foreign Relations website.
Obama’s Befuddling Afghan Policy by Leslie H. Gelb in the Council on Foreign Relations website.
China’s Succession: Hu’s Heir Is Not So Apparent by Simon Elegant in Time.
In Afghanistan Assessment, a Catalyst for Obama by Eric Schmitt in The New York Times.
How Many Troops to Secure Afghanistan? by Robert Mackey in The Lede at The New York Times.
Beijing Students Pressed to Stop Protesting Lecturer’s Detention by Andrew Jacobs in The New York Times.
Afghan shift: U.S. forces to focus on cities by Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post at msnbc.com.
U.S. to shift from Afghanistan to Pakistan? by the Associated Press at msnbc.com.
Britain seeking to trim its troops in Afghanistan by the Associated Press at msnbc.com.
Gordon Brown follows Barack Obama’s lead with cut in Trident subs by Patrick Wintour in the Guardian.
Chinese Defense Minister highlights military achievement ahead of National Day parade by Xinhua at the Chinese Ministry of National Defense website.
General Stanley McChrystal’s assessment of the situation in Afghanistan.
Why Karzai’s Rival Abdullah Won’t Compromise on Runoff by Tim McGirk in Time.
Bringing the Soviet military-industrial complex to life by David E. Hoffman in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
How Washington Will Measure Pakistan’s Success by Omar Waraich of Time.
How Gorbachev Slowed the Arms Race by David E. Hoffman of The Washington Post.
AQ Khan’s version by Simon Henderson in The Sunday Times.
Ann Marlowe’s brilliant piece The Picture Awaits: The Birth of Modern Counterinsurgency in World Affairs.
The story of Ilyas Kashmiri in How an ex-Army commando became a terrorist by Hamid Mir writing for The News.
Vikram Sood’s blog post on Balochistan – Pakistan’s Other Colony.
No Solution to AfPak Without India by Andrew Lebovic for The Washington Note.
The Nightmare Scenario in Afghanistan could be a blessing, argue William Maley, Marvin G. Weinbaum and Rani D. Mullen at Foreign Policy.
Afghanistan: Why Efforts to Disarm the Taliban Have Failed by Tim McGirk reporting for Time from Kabul.
Israel Assembles Advanced Missile Defense Systems by Howard Schneider of the Washington Post Foreign Service.
NATO Offers to Include Russia in Defence Planning by Ian Traynor in Brussels and Luke Harding in Moscow in the Guardian.
Father of Pakistan’s Nuclear Bomb Tells Just How Easy It Is by Yossi Melman of Haaretz.
Barack Obama to Abandon European Missile-Defence Shield by Luke Harding in Moscow and Ian Traynor in Brussels in the Guardian.
Afghans Prepare for Run-Off as Fraud Investigation Grows by Declan Walsh in the Guardian.
The Telegraph’s story, Al-Qaeda Plots to Kidnap Civilian Workers in Afghanistan by Bonnie Malkin in Sydney, Ben Farmer in Kabul and Dean Nelson in New Delhi.
The Obama administration’s draft metrics for Af-Pak in Evaluating Progress in Afghanistan-Pakistan published by Foreign Policy and reported on by Reuters as well.
Afghanistan’s Other Front by Joseph Kearns Goodwin in The New York Times.
Preparations for New Afghanistan Vote Begin by Declan Walsh of the Guardian.
Iran Warns India on Gas Pipeline at the BBC.
Why the Taliban is Gaining Ground in Afghanistan by Tim McGirk of Time.
Daniel Markey’s argument at Foreign Policy, Don’t Waste the Afghan Election Crisis.
UN Mission Split Over Afghan Poll at the BBC.
The Top Ten Most Wanted Jehadis by Amir Mir of The News.
Commando raid in Somalia latest in covert operations across the globe by Bill Roggio at The Long War Journal.
Illiteracy Undermines Afghan Army by Fisnik Abrashi of the Associated Press.
Pakistan’s Army Said to be Linked to Many Killings by Jane Perlez and Pir Zubair Shah of The New York Times.
The Rising Price of Discounting Muslim Lives by Dean Nelson of the Telegraph.
Withdrawal Without Winning at Foreign Policy by Robert Jervis.
Where’s bin Laden? by Peter Bergen at Foreign Policy.
Why Pakistan Won’t Help on Iran by Omar Waraich of Time in Islamabad.
Interactive: The Five Ages of al Qaeda by Jason Burke and Paddy Allen at the Guardian.
John P. Hannah writing on Regime Change in Iran at Foreign Policy.
Hitting Bottom in Foggy Bottom by Matthew Armstrong at Foreign Policy.
Why China Military Watchers Got It Wrong by Toshi Yoshihara & James Holmes at The Diplomat.
Afghan National Army Order of Battle September 2009 update by CJ Radin at The Long War Journal.
Worst Case Unfolding in Afghanistan? by Greg Grant at DoD Buzz.
Tactical Strategic Communication! by Commander Steve Tatham at the Small Wars Journal.
The Next Osama by Jarret Brachman at Foreign Policy.
How Afghanistan Can Avoid Becoming Another Vietnam by Mark Juergensmeyer, Richard Falk, and Manoranjan Mohanty at Huffington Post.
Afghan fraud ballots invalidated at the BBC.
FBI Informant Says Agents Missed Chance to Stop 9/11 Ringleader Mohammed Atta by Brian Ross and Vic Walter at ABC News.
U.S. Says Iran Could Expedite Nuclear Bomb by David E. Sanger at The New York Times.
International Criminal Court Orders Probe of Afghan Attacks by Joe Lauria at The Wall Street Journal.
Obama’s Afghan Hopes Meet Reality by Jim Hoagland at The Washington Post.
Senate Panel OKs $128 Billion For Afghanistan, Iraq Wars by Andrew Taylor at Huffington Post.
Punishing A.Q. Khan by Leonard S. Spector at Foreign Policy.
Al-Qaida: Tales from Bin Laden’s Volunteers by Jason Burke and Ian Black at the Guardian.
Hillary Mann Leverett’s take on Mohammed Qasim Fahim and his growing power in Afghanistan at Foreign Policy.
The Geopolitics of Golf by Richard N. Haass in Newsweek.
Out of Service by Tim Shorrock at Mother Jones.
Alcohol banned at General Stanley McChrystal’s headquarters after staff found too drunk to respond to crisis after F-15 strike on fuel tankers in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Jerome Starkey of The Times has more.
Recession is Dangerously Good for the Arms Business by Nathan Schneider at the Huffington Post.
Sunny Hundal arguing the case for a continued presence in Afghanistan at the Guardian.
And Malou Innocent of the Cato Institute making a case for withdrawal from Afghanistan at the Huffington Post.
Keeping up with the Indians by Paul Staniland at Foreign Policy.
India’s Modern Submachine Carbine at The Firearm Blog.
The Guns of August by Ahmad Faruqui at The Dawn.
The USAF going low-tech and low-cost for aerial COIN operations by Mark Thompson, also at Time. For more analysis, check out Gaining Momentum at the blog Defense of the Realm.
Pakistan’s Noncampaign against the Taliban by Bobby Ghosh at Time.
Karen DeYoung’s article US Sets Metrics to Assess War Success at the Washington Post.
Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger’s article US Accuses Pakistan of Altering Missiles at the New York Times.
About the first cannon ever fired in 1346 at Wired.
Bill Roggio’s opinion on the collapse of the Taliban at The Long War Journal.
The Defense Industry’s Secret Weapon at Mother Jones.
Robert Kaplan’s new article Buddha’s Savage Peace in The Atlantic.
Procuring Problems in Britain’s Defenses at The Foundry of the Heritage Foundation.
Brigadier SK Chatterji’s case for a war memorial in The Asian Age to remember the soldiers who died for independent India.
