Following increased questioning over the efforts and ability of Pakistan's security forces to fight terrorism, members of Congress are increasing their calls to scrutinize military aid to Pakistan. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) has introduced legislation that would require all aid be frozen until the Pakistani government proves it was not complicit in hiding bin Laden. This bill reportedly will likely not reach the floor and would have little support. However, ...

In remarks made with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her alarm at the situation in Syria and called for an immediate end to the use of violence stating that "we have to show the Syrian Government that there are consequences for this brutal crackdown that has been imposed on the Syrian people."  Minister Frattini also called for an end to the violence and for ...

Writing in the New York Times, Roger Cohen stated "Osama Bin Laden is dead -- and so is an old Middle East" and noted that the recent events in the Middle East demonstrate how the al-Qaeda leader had lost touch with Arab youth who have "move irrelevant....Facebook and Twitter turned out to be far more effective agents of change than any 'martyrdom' attack on apostates, crusaders and Zionists – the ...

On Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the impact of Osama bin Laden's death on the State Department's operations.  She stated that the department has worked to forge a global anti-terror network which has "helped put unprecedented pressure on al-Qaida and its leadership" and called for continued cooperation.  Clinton also noted that, "istory will record that bin Ladin’s death came at a time of great movements toward freedom and democracy, ...

On Friday, the Hudson Institute hosted an event focused on the transitional government processes taking place in Egypt and Tunisia as well as the unrest in the region and the role that Islamists will play, entitled, “How Should the U.S. Respond to the Prospect of Islamist Governments?” The event was moderated by Nina Shea, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute. The panel ...

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held an open hearing to assess U.S. foreign policy priorities in light of the country’s current economic challenges.  The Committee — chaired by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and with Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) in attendance — requested the testimony of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.To see full notes, continue below or click here for pdf.  To see webcast, click here.Rep. Ros-Lehtinen opened ...

As Egyptian inspired protests have spread across the Arab world, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced on Monday the dissolution of his 24 member cabinet.  A cabinet reshuffle has been a goal of Fayyad for some time, as only 16 of the 24 portfolios had been filled, with the cabinet largely being viewed as "dysfunctional."  The posts are to be filled within six weeks. This announcement comes ahead of presidential elections scheduled to be ...

Bilal Hussain writes at the Guardian's Comment is Free that democracy in Pakistan only serves as "an interval before the arrival of the next military regime." Hussain attributes the weakness of democracy in Pakistan to "age-old feudal, tribal and panchayat systems," that retain their influence over politics in the country to this day. Hussein focuses primarily on the feudal system, whereby  elites are elected to office solely "on the basis ...

At the Center for Global Development’s “Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance” blog, senior policy analyst Molly Kinder focuses on U.S. funding for the Pakistani education system. The quality of that system, she points out, will “profoundly impact the country’s internal stability, security, and prosperity.” Kinder asserts that although Washington has promised $335 million in aid to support education (making USAID’s education program in Pakistan its largest worldwide), “money alone is not ...

The recent catastrophic flooding in Pakistan has caused tensions to rise between that country's civilian government and it's military. Jane Perlez writes in The New York Times that the seeming incompetence of President Asif Ali Zardari's government has brought the question of a return to military rule back into play: "In a meeting on Mondayas a rebuke to the civilian politicians and as having pushed the government to the ...

In a new piece, Al Jazeera's Pakistan correspondent Kamal Hyder reports that many in Islamabad are questioning the strength of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and some are actively working to bring about its demise. “The word revolution is now resounding inside the plush drawing rooms of Pakistan's leafy capital,” writes Hyder, adding “No one knows if there will be a revolution or not, but in the event of it happening one ...

The United States Institute of Peace held a panel discussion Wednesday titled "Evaluating the State of Democracy in Pakistan". The event was moderated by Moeed Yusuf, South Asia adviser and manager of the Pakistan program at USIP. The panel members were Mohammad Waseem, currently a visiting fellow at the Brooking Institution and professor of political science at Lahore University, Shahid Javed Burki, a former Senior Economist at the World Bank ...

Owais Tahid reports in the Christian Science Monitor that former president and military commander Pervez Musharraf plans to return to Pakistan to lead a new political party called the All Pakistan Muslim League. Musharraf claims to have wide support among the young people in Pakistan, pointing to his 300,000 Facebook followers as proof. Musharraf may face criminal charges upon his return. The government-run Associated Press of Pakistan reports that cases have been filed ...

In an interview with Viktor Kaspruk of the Ukrainian Week yesterday, public policy commentator and broadcaster Ahmed Quraishi lamented the lack of “real leaders” and self-confidence in Pakistan, calling democracy in the country “fake.” He contended that there is a “huge” governance problem in the country, criticizing a political system that is “run by families” and praising the Pakistani military for breaking ruling families’ monopoly in government. In his view, ...

In Dawn columnist I.A. Rehman writes that Pakistani democracy is under threat from “privileged politicians” who believe the country should return to a more authoritarian system of governance following the flood crisis. These critics claim that Pakistan’s democratic system has not provided for citizens and the country needs “an honest general” to clean house and establish order. Rehman counters that the challenges Pakistan faces today are actually the result of previous periods ...

The New America Foundation held a panel discussion today to introduce the Afghanistan Study Group's paper, "A New Way Forward: Rethinking U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan". (PDF here) The panel members were all members of the study group, although not all of them signed the finished product making for an interesting discussion. The panel included Paul Pillar (Director of Graduate Studies, Center for Peace and Security Studies, Georgetown University and former ...

Amidst domestic perceptions that the Pakistani government's response to the continuing flood crisis has been inadequate, some observers have asked whether the disaster will affect the country's political future. Issam Ahmed writes in the Christian Science Monitor that President Asif Ali Zardari's decision to continue his tour of Europe as the crisis grew "enraged ordinary Pakistanis." This, in addition to the slow pace with which politicians addressed their constituents' needs ...

Writing in The New Yorker, Steve Coll suggests that for all of Pakistan’s problems, there is a way forward. According to Coll, Pakistan must first seek peace with India and then develop a stronger, export-based economy. Coll cites Indonesia’s experience as a potential model: "Indonesia, which, like Pakistan, has a large Muslim population and implausible borders left behind by imperialists, suffered badly a decade ago from separatist violence, Al Qaeda-linked ...

Asian News International highlights how the recent flooding in Pakistan and the perceived inability of the government to respond are undermining the country’s already tenuous democratic system. According to the author, the crisis may strengthen the military’s authority in Pakistan while weakening the civilian government:  “The catastrophe, which has been stamped as the country's worst natural disaster ever, could have far reaching effects weakening its already fragile democratic set up and increasing ...

At Democracy Digest, Michael Allen covers a recent Brookings Institution event featuring Steve Coll, Vali Nasr, and Michael O'Hanlon, exploring the effectiveness of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. According to Coll, NATO has made a "Faustian Pact" with local warlords by sacrificing the long term development of civil society for short term security gains. Coll also expressed concern that too much emphasis is being paid to centralization at the cost of ...