Background Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, was assassinated by a longtime associate on July 12th while entertaining guests at his home. The Taliban claimed responsibility, stating that the associate, Sardar Muhammad, was a sleeper agent. Analysis At first glance, this was a typical Taliban assassination against an official in the U.S.-backed [...]

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A little more than four months ago, the Governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, was gunned down in broad daylight for standing up for the rights of a poor Christian woman.  On his death, many in Pakistan asked, “Well, why did he speak up for Aasia Bibi?  Didn’t he know this would happen?” Two months ago, [...]

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In the wake of the successful operation to kill Osama bin Laden, questions have emerged with respect to Pakistan’s role in the affair. Did Pakistan have advance knowledge of the raid? If it didn’t, did it at least detect the incursion? Many have hypothesized that Pakistan’s role has been understated to shield the Pakistani government [...]

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President Obama and his staff watch the historic operation against Osama Bin Laden unfold – live.

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President Barack Obama is expected to address the nation tonight to announce what is arguably the biggest news of the new century: Osama Bin Laden is dead.  And though historic, the death of Bin Laden will do little to change the global landscape.  The US is primed to remain embroiled in conflicts stretching from the [...]

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On August 25th, an INSIDER BRIEF letter to the editor was published in the Wall Street Journal in response to Ashley Tellis’ op-ed, “Stop the Sino-Pak Nuclear Pact.“  In his op-ed, Tellis argues that Washington should oppose the sale of Chinese nuclear reactors to Pakistan.  Our letter is copied below (the bracketed text was edited [...]

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Editor’s Note:  I’ve been sitting on this post for a few weeks now and finally have a chance to post it.  Fortunately for me, questions still linger about Pakistan’s motivations behind the recent spate of Taliban arrests. SUMMARY The first two months of 2010 have brought about a sea change on the ground in Afghanistan [...]

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HAKIMULLAH DEAD, PROBABLY. Multiple media outlets reported today that Hakimullah Mehsud, leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), succumbed to his wounds from the January 14th drone strikes on Shaktoi, South Waziristan.  Pakistan’s interior minister, Rehman Malik, also stated that there was credible information that Hakimullah was dead.  (Insider Brief sources claimed on January 17th that Mehsud [...]

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My post, “(Geopolitical) Reality Bites,” was published in Friday’s edition (01/08/10) of The Daily Times — a leading Pakistani English-language newspaper.  You can find the editorial here. You can also now find the Insider Brief on Twitter.  You’ll find tweets covering a range of topics from notable publications to some of the latest chatter from [...]

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While all eyes are focused on the insurgencies raging on both sides of Pakistan’s western border, Pakistan’s military continues to develop its conventional military capability alongside its counterinsurgency (COIN) capabilities.  There have been four major developments in the two last months: December 8th – Pakistan received the first of seven Saab 2000 Erieye Airborne Warning [...]

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For the last several months, we’ve witnessed Pakistan tread down the path of implosion. The country finds itself in a recession and is relying once again on the IMF for budgetary support. The military campaign in South Waziristan may have merely displaced militants who continue to carry out retaliatory bombings and assassinations in Pakistan proper. [...]

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Summary Despite widespread skepticism of the Pakistani military’s will and ability to fight the Taliban, the second Swat campaign appears to be on the road to a successful conclusion with the expulsion of the Taliban from the once scenic valley.  Backed by civilian support, Pakistan’s military leadership looks to have plotted and executed a well [...]

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Background Violence, protests and strikes erupted in Balochistan last week when the mutilated bodies of Baloch Nationalist Movement (BNM) chief Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, BNM vice-president Lala Munir and Baloch Republican Party leader Sher Muhamamd Bugti were found in an area bordering Iran.  The three Baloch nationalist leaders were kidnapped on April 3rd by unidentified gunmen [...]

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Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s Information Minister and senior PPP party member has reportedly resigned from the federal cabinet citing the government moves to censor the media. Reports today indicate that the government ordered local cable operators not to broadcast Geo TV. We expect to see the further erosion of President Zardari’s government and his already tenuous [...]

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