U.S. war planners woo skeptical Pakistanis Nov 20, 2009
"I think it is very dangerous to start talking about exit strategies at this particular point in time when the West is seen to be losing and the perception is the Taliban is winning," said Ahmed Rashid, an expert on the Taliban who has advised Obama on Afghanistan and Pakistan. "It certainly sets the ball rolling in the region with the neighboring countries all jockeying for position with their proxies in Afghanistan as they did in the '90s," he said. (MSNBC -- International)
Taliban Surpasses Al Qaeda in Afghanistan Nov 12, 2009
When bin Laden fled the U.S. invasion in 2001, he took refuge with Haqqani in a safe house between the Afghan city of Khost and Miran Shah, according to Pakistani author Ahmed Rashid. Haqqani's network, which experts say maintains links with Pakistani authorities, fights in eastern Afghanistan. (CBS News -- US)
Fighting the 'good' war Nov 4, 2009
Writing in Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, journalist-author Ahmed Rashid said the training camps "became virtual universities for future Islamic radicalism". In the words of William Blum in his book, Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower, "The war had been a rallying point for Muslim zealots from throughout the world ... Thousands of veterans of the war ... dispersed to many lands to inflame and train a new generation of terrorists ready to drink... (Asia Times Online)
Al Qaeda's Role in the 2008 Mumbai ... Oct 28, 2009
Pakistani author Ahmed Rashid explains that it was certainly the most sophisticated kind of attack that we have seen in India so far. There were multiple targets and this was a suicide squad, all the attackers were clearly prepared to die. (Suite101.com)
Top Article: Waziristan Or Bust Oct 26, 2009
Ahmed Rashid 26 October 2009, 12:00am IST. Text Size. (India Times, India)
Tense relations Oct 17, 2009
Guest columnist Ahmed Rashid has this assessment ... Ahmed Rashid is the author of the best-selling book Taliban and, most recently, of Descent into Chaos: How the war against Islamic extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Influential ally Oct 9, 2009
"India's reconstruction strategy was designed to win over every sector of Afghan society, to give India a high profile with Afghans, gain the maximum political advantage and, of course, undercut Pakistani influence," says analyst Ahmed Rashid ... "India's success in Afghanistan stirred up a hornet's nest in Islamabad which came to believe that India was 'taking over Afghanistan'," says Ahmed Rashid in his book Descent Into Chaos. (BBC News -- South Asia)
In Afghanistan, Life and Land Prove Harsh Oct 6, 2009
"You have all Afghans wanting and praying and hoping for a decent central government, which will govern all the ethnic groups equitably," author and journalist Ahmed Rashid said. "It wants modernization.". (CBS News)
Taliban grow stronger in 'safe' Afghan north, west Sep 24, 2009
"Last year (the Taliban) didn't have much of a presence in the west and the north and they want to target the NATO troops that are there, such as the Germans and the Italians," said Ahmed Rashid, author of books on the Taliban. "I think (the Taliban) had a very concerted campaign this year to penetrate the north and the west ... they wanted to draw their troops out of the tribal border areas with Pakistan.". (AlertNet)
U.S. needs to keep it simple in Afghanistan Sep 11, 2009
Ahmed Rashid is the author of Taliban and Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia. Inside AJC.COM. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Pakistan: Terror's Tipping Point Sep 9, 2009
FATA, the supposed home to Osama bin Laden, is a multilayered terrorist cake, the world s terrorism central, writes Ahmed Rashid, author of Descent Into Chaos ... Writes Ahmed Rashid, None of the intelligence agencies seemed to be capable of carrying out the simplest of procedures, such as intercepting the couriers who delivered the dozens of video and audio tapes sent by al-Qaeda to be aired on al-Jazeera. (The American Conservative)
Spooks spill blood in the Hindu Kush Sep 4, 2009
To quote Ahmed Rashid, the well-informed Pakistani author who advises the Pentagon, "Karzai, of course, is showing his independence more and more from the Americans and does not want to be seen as an agent of the West in any way.". With such a curious power calculus forming in Kabul, the ISI needs to prepare for the return of Mohammed Fahim, the head of the NA intelligence - Laghmani's boss - and former defense minister, to the top echelons of Karzai's government as first vice president. (Asia Times Online)
What Afghan Election Result is Best for the U.S.? Aug 20, 2009
"If it's under 30%, there will be appeals by almost everyone to say that this is not a legitimate election, and that we'll need another election," Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, who has written two authoritative books on the Taliban, told the Council on Foreign Relations this week. "The other problem is that there are going to be massive charges of rigging no matter who wins. If Karzai wins, the opposition is going to accuse him of rigging the election. If Karzai does not do well, he'll say... (Time.com)
Powers line up to stir Afghanistan's pot Aug 20, 2009
Significantly, noted Pakistani author Ahmed Rashid, who is wired to the Pentagon and Holbrooke's entourage, underscored on Monday that a "serious credibility gap haunts" the Afghan election. Rashid anticipated the election would be marred by controversy over low turnout and allegations of rigging. (Asia Times Online)
US shrugs off Pakistan-Taliban links Aug 6, 2009
The NATO account, reported in The Telegraph by Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid on October 6, 2006, described two ISI training camps for the Taliban near Quetta in Pakistan's Balochistan province. It also documented the provision by the ISI of 2,000 rocket-propelled grenades and 400,000 rounds of ammunition - just for that one Taliban campaign. (Asia Times Online)
Afghanistan attacks underscore insurgents' growing reach Aug 4, 2009
"Everything has gotten much more sophisticated. These are very well trained guerrillas now. These are not rag-tag village peasants any more," says Ahmed Rashid, author of "Taliban.". A remote-controlled bomb Monday killed two policeman and eight civilians in western Afghanistan, a once relatively calm section of the country. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Government advice urges tweeting Jul 29, 2009
Page last updated at 23:08 GMT, Monday, 27 July 2009 00:08 UK. Tweeting should take less than an hour a day, the advice says. (BBC News -- Technology)
Taliban tensions Jul 29, 2009
Guest columnist Ahmed Rashid reports on the growing rift between the US and Pakistan over fighting the Taliban ... Ahmed Rashid is the author of the best-selling book Taliban and, most recently, of Descent into Chaos: How the war against Islamic extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia ... Ahmed Rashid on growing US-Pakistan divisions. (BBC News)
Offensive or funny? Jul 29, 2009
Page last updated at 07:34 GMT, Wednesday, 29 July 2009 08:34 UK. We need to talk about Kevin. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Terracotta army's new UK formation Jul 29, 2009
----------------- ----------------- RELATED BBC SITES. Last Updated: Wednesday, 5 September 2007, 15:19 GMT 16:19 UK. (Yahoo News -- Art and Museums)
RPT-ANALYSIS-Iran cracks down as Baluch rebels step up campaign Jul 20, 2009
Jundollah has evolved through shifting alliances with various parties, including the Taliban and Pakistan's ISI intelligence service, who saw the group as a tool against Iran, according to Lahore-based Pakistani analyst Ahmed Rashid. Rashid, author of a book on the Taliban, said that while Jundollah had sprung from a milieu of ethnic Baluch nationalism, this had never been a strong core of their beliefs. (AlertNet)
Obama's South Asia challenges Jul 18, 2009
Guest columnist Ahmed Rashid says US President-elect Barack Obama will face some of his trickiest foreign policy challenges in South Asia. South Asians have welcomed Mr Obama's win. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Book Reviews Jul 5, 2009
Descent Into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid. Hopes that the US's direct involvement in Afghanistan would lead to a terrorism-free region have gone. (Asia Times Online)
Threat level Jun 26, 2009
Ahmed Rashid, journalist and author. Kanwal Sibal, former Indian foreign secretary. (BBC News -- South Asia)
• Filer library has new books and DVDs Jun 25, 2009
"Summer on Blossom Street" by Debbie Macomber, "Vision in White" by Nora Roberts, "The Empty Chair" by Jeffery Deaver, "The Second Silence" by Eileen Goudge, "Texas Brides" by Joan Johnston, "The Trade" by Shirley Palmer, "From the Back of the Hearse" by J. D. Holman, "Marked" by P.C. Cast, "Betrayed" by P.C. Cast, "Chosen" by P.C. Cast, "Untamed" by P.C. Cast, "Gone Tomorrow Jack Reacher" by Lee Child, "Lawman" by Diane Palmer, "Terminal Freeze" by Lincoln Child, "The Maltese Falcon" by... (Burley South Idaho Press, ID)
Bombing Shows Pakistan Militant Groups Uniting May 28, 2009
"Ultimately we're going to reach a tipping point where the Taliban will have opened so many fronts in Northern Pakistan, in Punjab, that it will be almost impossible for the army to deploy against so many fronts which are so distant from each other geographically," says Ahmed Rashid, the author of "Descent into Chaos" and who lives in Lahore. 1. (ABC News)
Heart of Islamic Extremism Is in Pakistan May 19, 2009
Ahmed Rashid, the Pakistani author of "Descent into Chaos," no longer writes about "creeping Talibanization"; "it's galloping," he says. Across the border in Afghanistan, Taliban guerrillas are now attacking NATO countries' garrisons whose national caveats preclude offensive operations. (Newsmax)
The road to Afghan victory runs through Pakistan May 16, 2009
Ahmed Rashid, the brave Pakistani journalist who has been chronicling the Taliban and his own country, lays bare Pakistan's bifurcated view of threats in Descent into Chaos, a must-read book as the Obama administration starts driving the mission in Afghanistan with more troops, new equipment (Apache helicopters. a new commanding officer and a tough approach toward Pakistan. (Globe and Mail)
Are Pakistani Taliban finding new foothold in south? May 7, 2009
"If the Taliban wanted to destabilize Karachi, ethnic riots would be one of the first things they would do," says Ahmed Rashid, author of "Descent into Chaos." "By taking charge of the political leadership of that political movement, they could start taking over large chunks of Karachi.". Potential recruiting ground. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Pakistan resumes peace talks with Taliban amid heavy offensive May 2, 2009
"If they are serious, they will have to go back into Swat. Is this going to be another case where they push them back allow them to regroup later and reemerge at a different point or will they go on to eliminate them?" asks Ahmed Rashid, author of "Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.". The Taliban, which has held the Swat Valley since 2005, first entered the districts of Buner and Lower Dir, some 62 miles... (Christian Science Monitor)
Pakistani forces move against Taliban Apr 28, 2009
Ahmed Rashid, analyst and author of "Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia" is less optimistic. The Army still lacks a decent counterinsurgency strategy, he says. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Disarray on Taleban threat Apr 28, 2009
The Pakistani government and army seem incapable or unwilling to tackle the Taleban threat in the north-west, argues guest columnist Ahmed Rashid. Unprecedented political and military disarray in Pakistan and a growing public feeling of helplessness is helping fuel the rapid expansion of the Taleban across northern Pakistan, bringing them closer to paralysing state institutions in their bid to seize total power. (BBC News -- South Asia)
TRUDY RUBIN: Afghanistan, Pakistan pose real threat Apr 28, 2009
The militants aim "at nothing less than toppling the Pakistani government," said Ahmed Rashid, an expert on militancy in the region. Moreover, the militants are extending their operations to areas beyond Pakistan's border lands, where there are no nuclear facilities, toward Pakistan's heartland in the Punjab, where such facilities are located. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Wealthy nations move to shore up Pakistan Apr 18, 2009
Some Pakistani experts, including author Ahmed Rashid, have warned that some of the toughest conditions added to a draft bill in the House those that appear aimed at shaping Pakistan's foreign policy would be difficult for any Pakistani government to commit to. Analysts are divided over how much the US should continue to use aid to bend Islamabad toward Washington's security objectives including the severing of all Pakistan's ties with militant groups. (Christian Science Monitor)
UN 'concern' at Baloch killings Apr 10, 2009
Writing recently on Balochistan, BBC columnist Ahmed Rashid pointed to the worsening situation in the province, where the wide-ranging political and economic grievances of the alienated Baloch people have remained largely forgotten and unaddressed. Bookmark with. (BBC News -- South Asia)
COMMENT: It's Hell Next Door Apr 8, 2009
According to Pakistan's foremost expert on Afghanistan, Ahmed Rashid, Pervez Musharraf adopted a "complex policy" of minimally satisfying American demands to act against the al-Qaeda, while giving the Taliban leadership and fighters havens in Quetta and the tribal areas, bordering Afghanistan. Musharraf also signed six agreements, virtually surrendering to Taliban groups and abdicating the authority of the Pakistan state. (India Times, India)
Don't Go There Mr. President! Mar 28, 2009
Or take the Kashmir crisis" does the United States expect Pakistan to withdraw support for the Taliban and other jihadists it sees as a bulwark against the Indian threat in Kashmir and Afghanistan while the United States tilts toward India? The other problem with 00004000 a diplomatic solution for the United States is the uncomfortable matter of democracy. In Afghanistan, the Karzai regime might not survive this year's election, in which case the United States will be seeking a substitute who... (CBS News)
Envoy weighs Afghan challenge Mar 26, 2009
Regional expert Ahmed Rashid, whose new book Descent into Chaos is widely read by members of the Obama administration, says the US has "far fewer options" in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. "There are indications international aid will be far less than Pakistan expects as long as the Taleban advance," he added. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Murky Protectionism Threatens Global Economic Recovery Mar 21, 2009
" VoxEU.org, 10 October. http://voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/599. Rights:? 2009 Yale Center for the Study of Globalization Related Articles: Richard Baldwin,Simon Evenett 13 March 2009 Orville Schell 11 March 2009 Dinesh C. Sharma 9 March 2009 Tamara Cofman Wittes 6 March 2009 Ahmed Rashid 4 March 2009 YaleGlobal Online ? 2009. (YaleGlobal Online Magazine, CT)
Chinks exposed in Obama's Taliban plan Mar 18, 2009
An alternative strategy of seeking a deal with the Taliban aimed at separating them from al-Qaeda was first raised by Columbia University's Afghanistan specialist Barnett Rubin and Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid in an article in Foreign Affairs magazine last December. The article proposed that NATO offer to end military action in Afghanistan if the Taliban agrees "to prohibit the use of Afghan (or Pakistani) territory for international terrorism". (Asia Times Online)
The Gordian Knot of Gaza Mar 14, 2009
Ahmed Rashid 4 March 2009. David Dapice 2 March 2009. (YaleGlobal Online Magazine, CT)
A Dangerous Void in Pakistan Mar 12, 2009
The result is that NATO and the US, fighting to bring order to Afghanistan since 2001, and about to send more troops to the region, can no longer count on Pakistan as a reliable ally, explains journalist and author Ahmed Rashid ... Ahmed Rashid YaleGlobal, 4 March 2009 ... Ahmed Rashid is a Pakistani journalist and author, most recently of "Descent into Chaos: The US and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia.". (YaleGlobal Online Magazine, CT)
Gunmen wound Sri Lanka cricketers in Pakistan attack Mar 3, 2009
"I think this is a deliberate attempt to undermine the government at the time when there is a huge political crisis in the country," respected Lahore-based journalist Ahmed Rashid said. "They are trying to create a vacuum of power in which eventually they can take over," said the author of "Descent into Chaos," chronicling Pakistan's slide into the hands of extremists and militants. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Slide toward anarchy Feb 28, 2009
Islamabad's deal with the Taliban may be a turning point in a failing regional battle against extremism. From Saturday's Globe and Mail. (Globe and Mail)
Will Good Times Ever Return to the Swat Valley? Feb 27, 2009
Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and author of a best-selling book about the Taliban, says the recent cease-fire is merely the calm before the storm. "The Taliban do not stop at one demand," explains Rashid. (Time.com)
TRUDY RUBIN: Is 'Afpak' unwise in efforts to tame Taliban? Feb 23, 2009
Top Pakistani experts on Islamic militants, such as author and journalist Ahmed Rashid, are horrified by the deal. "It's a surrender," Rashid said emotionally. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Talibanizing Pakistan Feb 17, 2009
"Pakistan is at the centre of a gathering firestorm engulfing south and central Asia in the most volatile confrontation since 9/11," warned Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani analyst who wrote the best-selling book Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. The West's failure to crush the Taliban and rehabilitate Afghanistan has resulted in a spreading contagion that now threatens the entire region as Pakistan has become the global... (National Post)
Decades After Soviet Exit, Another Superpower Is Tied Down In Afghan Conflict Feb 15, 2009
Pakistani author and regional expert Ahmed Rashid was there in late December 1979 when Red Army tanks first rolled into the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. Rashid, who has met recently with U.S. officials mapping out a possible new Afghan strategy, was one of a small number of international correspondents who managed to cover the ensuing war from both sides: He established friendships both with Afghan communist officials and the mujahedin guerrillas fighting them from bases in neighboring... (EurasiaNet.org)
File: Return of the Taliban: What lies ahead? Feb 14, 2009
Author o 00004000 f the bestselling Taliban, Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid has explained the "lack of trust between the CIA and the ISI" in his latest book, Descent Into Chaos. Explaining Pakistan's complex relations with the Taliban, Rashid says, "The Pakistani army never understood that after 9/11 the international community would have zero tolerance for Islamic extremism and that the ISI's backing of militant groups would have to cease, not just in Afghanistan but also in Kashmir. Logic... (India Times, India)
In Pakistan, special envoy from U.S. finds discontent Feb 12, 2009
Though Holbrooke was accompanied by the deputy commander of the United States Central Command, Major General John Allen, the high-profile visit by a civilian envoy could change the tone of the conversation with Pakistan, said Ahmed Rashid, the author of a recent book on Pakistan and Afghanistan, called "Descent into Chaos," who attended the dinner with Holbrooke in the old town in Lahore. 1. (International Herald Tribune)
