Word: qaeda
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Seeking alliances with more moderate Taliban elements against al-Qaeda is not a new idea in the Afghanistan-Pakistan context, but until now it has typically drawn a skeptical response from U.S. officials who regularly cast doubt on the wisdom of Pakistan's pursuing such agreements. So the news last weekend that President Barack Obama was entertaining the same idea, to reverse what he described as a war in Afghanistan that the U.S. was losing, was greeted with some raised eyebrows in the region. However, his suggestion was welcomed by Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, who has been advocating...
...deal that would make a difference. The model for Obama's suggestion, of course, is Iraq, where the U.S. managed to pacify Anbar province by recruiting most of the local Sunni sheiks, who had previously been part of the insurgency, to wage a common fight against al-Qaeda. But Obama admitted that the Iraq strategy is hardly an easy fit. "The situation in Afghanistan is, if anything, more complex [than Iraq]," he said. "You have a less governed region, a history of fierce independence among tribes ... [which] sometimes operate at cross-purposes. And so figuring all that out is going...
...Indeed, far more of a challenge than Obama even acknowledged. Al-Qaeda in Iraq was led by foreign jihadists, making it easier for the U.S. to turn locals against the organization, particularly when they chafed under al-Qaeda's imposition of strict Islamic law. But in Afghanistan - particularly in the south, where the insurgency is strongest - the militants are natives. In Iraq, an established and functioning government could offer sheiks who switched sides a credible alternative center of power, whereas in Afghanistan, the government is generally perceived to be corrupt, weak and unable to provide security. In Iraq, moreover...
...Kashmir conflict needs to be redressed. Indeed, that is the tougher challenge that Holbrooke will confront: persuading New Delhi to shelve its chauvinism and its knee-jerk finger-pointing at Pakistan. This weakens both civilian democracy here and the will of the soldiers engaged in the fight against al-Qaeda and the terrorist outfits backed by it. Fazal Karim Malik, Rawalpindi, Pakistan...
...means complacent.," Perkins told a press conference on Sunday. "We know that Al-Qaeda, although greatly reduced in capability and numbers, still is desperate to maintain relevance here in Iraq...