Strategic Paradigms by Ehsan Ahrari

“With friends like you, who needs enemies?” is an adage that both the Pakistanis and the Americans seem to be hurling at each other.  The outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, has recently stated that the Haqqani group is the “veritable arm” of the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service.  Even though [...]

President Barack H. Obama spoke to the Muslim world from Cairo on June 4, 2009.  Symbolically, that day will always be remembered every time someone raises the issue of the United States’ relations toward the world of Islam.  The following statement he made that day will go down in history as a memorable one:  The [...]

As the international community is witnessing the debate over the use of torture during the presidency of George W. Bush, another radical change has taken place over naming the United States’ campaign against terrorism.  It used to be called the “global war on terrorism” (GWOT).  President Barack H. Obama has quietly changed that name to [...]

President Barack H. Obama has been in office only a few months, but the talk of a fledgling “Obama doctrine” is getting popular.   If there is such a thing as the Obama doctrine in the realm of foreign policy, it involves a number of characteristics.  These comprise breaking away from George W. Bush’s failed policies [...]

As extremist forces are intensifying their endeavors to make Pakistan an obscurantist Muslim country, the example of Indonesia is both inspiring and heartening.  The country is well on its way to democracy, something that is quite rare in the world of Islam.  To be sure, Indonesia has problems of its own.  Extemist forces have shown [...]