Word: riedel
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...Among other things, Petraeus' review called for additional troops to be sent to Afghanistan, beyond the 17,000 Obama ordered. The Administration wasn't ready to do that, at least not yet. And so, the fourth policy review was ordered up - this one conducted by Bruce Riedel, a scholar at the Brookings Institution. The Riedel review won't be done until the end of March, but it has already achieved some clarity about U.S. goals and priorities: "Afghanistan pales in comparison to the problems in Pakistan," said an official familiar with Riedel's thinking. "Our primary goal...
...Through sheer brutality, the British were able to manage the area - now called Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province - but never quite subdue it. The chances of subduing it today are even more remote. "Obviously, we're not going to invade Pakistan," said a senior member of the Riedel review. "We have to convince the Pakistanis to do the job. But we haven't had much luck with that in the past." In fact, the Pakistani army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency have supported the Taliban as a counterforce against India's influence in Afghanistan, just as they supported jihadi...
...troubleshooter in the Balkans in the 1990s, Holbrooke handled one tough assignment after another. But his present one is even harder. "Pakistan is where some of the world's biggest problems come together--international terrorism, the nuclear threat, the question of democracy in the Muslim world, drugs," says Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution expert who advised the Obama campaign on South Asia. "On top of that, it is central to winning the war in Afghanistan...
...Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower, has a small plurality in Parliament, little sway over Pakistan's all-powerful military and none of the charisma of his murdered wife. But for the moment, he will probably be Holbrooke's most enthusiastic partner. For all of Zardari's flaws, says Riedel, "he gets it: he knows this is as much his war as it is ours." Zardari can't ignore the now routine terrorist strikes within Pakistan; suicide bombers have attacked major cities, killing hundreds. Besides, since Bhutto's death, Zardari is at the top of al-Qaeda's hit list...
...agency are in cahoots with the Islamic militants they're meant to fight. But also the military is not equipped to deal with an insurgency. "For 60 years, the Pakistani army has prepared to fight the Battle of El Alamein against India on the dusty plains of Punjab," says Riedel. "It's never really thought about how to deal with enemies within its borders." Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, its long-range missiles, fighter jets and tanks are for the most part useless against internal enemies...