Af-Pak Insanity: Boradline Chaos, Part 2: The People
watch on iPhone/iPod TouchSynopsis: For the second installment of this three-part series on the calamity and chaos that is the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, the Plaid Avenger talks about the peoples and parties that inhabit this lethal stretch of planet earth. We mostly hear about the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Afghans, and Pakistanis, and the Avenger will sort out who these peoples are…or aren’t! However, nations and political parties are made up of peoples, which is the Plaid Avenger’s main focus here. Ethnic groups like the Balochis, the Uzbeks, the Tajiks, and the Uyghurs are located in this area, and all have different goals which motivate their behavior. However, it is the powerful Pashtun ethnic group that has been swelling the ranks of the terrorist groups of this region….let’s figure out why!
Related Stories:
Pashtun Profile
Who Are the Taliban?
Taliban
What is Al-Qaida / Al-Qaeda ?
Keywords: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Pashtun, Balochis
Af-Pak Insanity: Borderline Chaos, Part 1: The Places (continued)
watch on iPhone/iPod TouchSynopsis: For the first installment of this three-part series on the calamity and chaos that is the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, the Plaid Avenger talks about some geographic places names that define this most dangerous zone on planet earth. Politics of the Great Game,the creation of the Durand Line, and the subdivision of British India all played a part in the how we have such named areas as Pakistan, Afghanistan, the FATA and the NWFP in today’s world…and more importantly, how this history explains the chronic conflict which still plagues these areas right on up to today, and for the foreseeable future!
Related Stories:
Pakistan Launches Full-Scale Offensive
The Afghan-Pakistan militant nexus
"No Sign until the Burst of Fire: Understanding the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier"
Keywords: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Durand Line, FATA, NWFP, Great Game, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Pashtun
Af-Pak Insanity: Borderline Chaos, Part 1: The Places
watch on iPhone/iPod TouchSynopsis: For the first installment of this three-part series on the calamity and chaos that is the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, the Plaid Avenger talks about some geographic places names that define this most dangerous zone on planet earth. Politics of the Great Game,the creation of the Durand Line, and the subdivision of British India all played a part in the how we have such named areas as Pakistan, Afghanistan, the FATA and the NWFP in today’s world…and more importantly, how this history explains the chronic conflict which still plagues these areas right on up to today, and for the foreseeable future!
Related Stories:
Pakistan Launches Full-Scale Offensive
The Afghan-Pakistan militant nexus
"No Sign until the Burst of Fire: Understanding the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier"
Keywords: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Durand Line, FATA, NWFP, Great Game, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Pashtun
NATO now NOT-O; Taliban to the Table
watch on iPhone/iPod TouchSynopsis: On the 8th anniversary of the US-led NATO invasion of Afghanistan, a resurgent Taliban combined with a fraudulent election and a wimpy and demoralized NATO have made for a disastrous situation for all. In this dire hour for the entire Afghan campaign, the Plaid Avenger predicts that the US administration will have to change its tactics…namely by starting negotiations with the Taliban to bring it into a coalition government while focusing on al-Qaeda as the real target of the war. In addition, what we are now seeing is two different Taliban teams in the field: the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistan Taliban…the latter team being the real one to watch as it picks apart Pakistan and causes way more calamity for the region and the world.
Related Stories:
U.S. Reviewing Taliban Links with Al-Qaeda
Taliban growth weighs on Obama strategy review
Europeans must do more in Afghanistan, NATO chief says
Afghanistan and Pakistan: is it time to ditch “AfPak”?
Pakistani army facing threat from Punjabi, al-Qaida and Taliban militants
Keywords: US, NATO, Taliban, Afghanistan, Pakistan, al-Qaeda, President Obama, General McCrystal
A Shift to the BRIC
- World
- International Organizations
- East Asia-Pacific
- European Eurasia
- South Asia & Central Asia
- The Americas
Synopsis: The Avenger has his plaid panties in a bunch about a serious global shift that started during the big G-20 in Pittsburgh last week: a move to more representative economic and political power on the world stage. Listen as the plaid one explains the background of the G-20 evolution, and the impacts of the most recent G-20 party….specifically for the BRIC countries….as they redistribute voting power in global institutions like the IMF and World Bank. Gee golly, its G-20 genius!
Related Stories:
G-20: New Clout, New Responsibilities
G-20 Agrees to Boost Emerging Nations Clout at IMF, World Bank
BRICs stand by demand for bigger share of IMF votes
Keywords: BRIC, G-20, G-7, G-8, IMF, World Bank
