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 ...

Daud Khattak writes in Foreign Policy that in the midst of the flood crisis in Pakistan, fears of targeted killings by the Taliban have not only sent key secular leaders into hiding, but also contributed to a lack of leadership in the Peshawar province, providing "an opening for religious and pro-Taliban elements to win the hearts and minds of the hundreds of thousands in the area." Pointing out the ineffectiveness ...

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has decided to extend the term of his military chief, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, by three more years, in light of Pakistan's ongoing campaign against the Taliban. The extension is the first of its kind with a civilian government in power, and has sparked concerns that the decision may undermine the authority of the parliament.  Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani Army general ...

In a New York Times op-ed, Jeffrey Gedmin, president of Radio Free Liberty/Radio Liberty, and Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent, shed light on Pakistan's quest for democracy.  While it may appear quite difficult to achieve a consolidated democracy in Pakistan, due to its lack of security and financial stability, Gedmin and Siddique seem optimistic about the potential for a future democratic culture to arise in the country. However, Gedmin and Siddique ...

A Pakistani court on Wednesday ordered authorities to block video sharing on networks including YouTube, Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail, Google, Islam Exposed, In The Name Of Allah, Amazon, and Bing, due to the judge's evaluation that the sites contain "blasphemous material against Allah, Prophet Mohammad and the Quran." Latif ur Rehman, a Pakistani lawyer, reportedly submitted materials obtained from the sites to the court and filed a petition seeking the adoption ...

The Brookings Institution, in collaboration with Sabanci University, held the sixth annual Sakip Sabanci Lecture with Philip H. Gordon, Assistant Secretary of European and Eurasian Affairs, to discuss the Obama administration’s perspective on Turkey, its relationship with the United States and the European Union, and its role across the Middle East and throughout the world.For POMED's notes in PDF, click here. Otherwise, continue reading below.After brief welcoming remarks from Strobe Talbott, ...

Simon Tisdall argues corruption is a larger and more difficult problem than most people realize. He cites Lorenzo Delesgues of Integrity Watch who observes that some USAID programs lose up to 90 cents on the dollar to corruption and fraud.Juan Cole relays several articles from Afghanistan translated by the USG Open source Center on economic development. Among many other topics, there are articles concerning a fatwa against poppies, the growing role of China, ...

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released a new report on the "Global Restrictions on Religion." The report concludes that "among all regions, the Middle East-North Africa has the highest government and societal restrictions on religion." Concerning governmental restrictions, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Egypt are among the worst offenders. For societal restrictions, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia rank among the worst. Overall, the report identifies Iran, Egypt, ...

Laura Rozen relays the latest "feud fall-out" between Ambassador Galbraith and his former boss Kai Eide, reported by the New York Times. According to a letter from Eide, Galbraith's dismissal from his U.N. post in Afghanistan came shortly after he proposed a secret mission to depose Hamid Karzai and replace him with an interim government led by someone more favorable to the U.S. But Galbraith denies discussing any "extra-constitutional solution to the ...

POMED and the Heinrich Boll Foundation hosted a panel discussion to discuss the role of U.S. military assistance in America’s attempt to maintain strategic interests without undermining democracy promotion and human rights. The event was the third in a series examining U.S. credibility on human rights and featured both Steven Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on Arab and Turkish ...

General McChrystal and Ambassador Eikenberry testified about the new Afghan strategy before the Armed Service Committees in both the House and Senate yesterday. They will continue their testimony on the Hill both today and tomorrow. According to Chris Good at The Atlantic, General McChrystal's prediction of success in Afghanistan was couched in "a healthy amount of humility." McChrystal argued that a combination of the resolve of the Afghans, the unpopularity of the Taliban, ...

As the first of the 30,000 new U.S. troops prepare to deploy within two to three weeks, debate at home continues over President Obama's new Afghan strategy. Notably, Secretary Clinton, Secretary Gates, and Admiral Mullen testified before Congress yesterday on the new Afghan strategy and will continue their testimony today.Juan Cole relays reactions to Obama's Afghan strategy from the region. In short, Kabul is content, the Taliban are indignant, the Indians are satisfied, the Russians are ...

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on Tuesday to consider the nomination of Rajiv Shah to be Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In his opening remarks, Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) declared the mission of USAID “near the top of our list of priorities” and highlighted the committee’s efforts to reform foreign assistance through the Foreign Assistance and Revitalization and Accountability Act (S. ...

President Obama delivered a speech yesterday at West Point that delineated his new strategy in Afghanistan, stipulating a troop surge of 30,000 soldiers that will begin to withdraw after 18 months.  The new strategy consists of three complementary efforts of the military, civilians, and a stronger partnership with Pakistan. President Obama narrowly defined the goal of the mission as destroying al-Qaeda, explaining that he refused to "set goals that go beyond our responsibility, our means, or ...

The Los Angeles Times reports that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has abdicated control of the country's nuclear program, along with other powers, to the directly elected prime minister. The announcement came on the same day his amnesty from corruption charges expired, opening him up to criminal investigations. While Zardari claims the move is part of a greater plan to transfer greater powers to directly elected officials, the article suggests the unpopular Zardari ...

In an interview with Der Spiegel, Secretary Clinton stated, "We are hopeful for the future of the people in Afghanistan to have a better life, to have political, social, economic development. But we are in Afghanistan because we cannot permit the return of a staging platform for terrorists." In the interview, she identified the necessity of a strong Afghan partner and promised the U.S. will "demand more from the Afghan government." ...

Secretary Clinton will conclude her trip to the Middle East and Pakistan with a visit to Egypt. She will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a contentious time in Egyptian politics, as detailed by Michael Allen at Democracy Digest.As the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) wrapped up their party convention, Gamal Mubarak criticized Egyptian opposition groups for trying to besmirch the NDP. This criticism was reinforced by the NDP official Ahmed Ezz, who blasted ...

T. Christian Miller and Dafna Linzer report (h/t Mother Jones) the U.N. cannot account for tens of millions of dollars provided to Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission. According to Peter Galbraith, the former deputy chief of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, "Nobody put the brakes on. U.S. taxpayers spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a fraudulent election." Total election costs are estimated to exceed $300 million, with the U.S. providing up to half ...

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a meeting to discuss recent movements in the international community to create resolutions against the defamation of religion.  The event hosted Joseph Cassidy, Director of the Office of Multilateral and Global Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy; Leonard Leo, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Angela Wu, international director of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; Tad Stahnke, director of ...