Tag Archives: Pakistan

White Paper: Afghanistan–Pakistan: Conflict Dynamics, Capabilities, and Pathways to (De-)Escalation

Executive summary Border violence between Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has spiked to the worst levels since 2021, culminating this week in a Qatar- and Turkey-mediated ceasefire after days of airstrikes, artillery exchanges, and border closures. The truce commits both sides … Continue reading

Posted in History, International Relations, Military History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Potential Benefits of Regional Autonomy in Conflict-Prone Areas

Introduction Throughout history, various regions of the world have experienced significant tensions due to their forced inclusion within national borders that do not align with their cultural, linguistic, or economic identities. Many of these regions would likely experience fewer problems … Continue reading

Posted in International Relations, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Crisis In Search Of An Explanation

What does Iran want? When twice within the course of a week a nation manages to provoke difficulties on two fronts, it is fair to wonder what sort of conditions are leading a nation’s leaders to engage in what others may … Continue reading

Posted in International Relations, Middle East, Musings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Instant City

Instant City: Life And Death In Karachi, by Steve Inskeep As you might expect from a book written by an NPR writer, the author feels it necessary to show off a knowledge of Karachi’s complicated history as a way of bolstering … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Nine Lives Of Pakistan

The Nine Lives Of Pakistan: Dispatches From A Precarious State, by Declan Walsh This is a book whose ominous form, namely the author seeking to untangle which of his hot-button subjects got him thrown out of Pakistan, while simultaneously reflecting … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, History, International Relations | Tagged | Leave a comment

We All Live Dangerous Lives

It might have seemed like a throwaway line at first. We have an old-school Pakistani in favor of civilian rule in a nation long plagued by military coups and foreign conflict with India, to say nothing about its contemporary problems … Continue reading

Posted in History, Musings | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Discontent And Its Civilizations: Dispatches From Lahore, London, And New York

Discontent And Its Civilizations: Dispatches From Lahore, London, And New York, by Mohsin Hamid It is entirely impossible to take this author wholly seriously in terms of his observations of the world. It is not difficult to see why it … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia

How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia: A Novel, by Mohsin Hamid If this is by no means a bad book, this book is not quite as good as it could be. In reading this book it appears that … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Audiobook Review: Stones Into Schools

Stones Into Schools:  Promoting Peace With Books, Not Bombs, In Afghanistan And Pakistan, by Greg Mortenson, read by Atossa Leoni This book was disappointing on a variety of levels.  For one, the book was, disappointingly, not the usual sort of … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Audiobook Review: Three Cups Of Tea

Three Cups Of Tea:  One Man’s Mission To Fight Terrorism And Build Nations…One School At A Time, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, read by Patrick Lawlor This is a book that I wanted to like more than I … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment