I'm not opposed to Richard Holbrooke touring a refugee camp. Every little bit helps in terms of boosting America's image in Pakistan right now. And I'm heartened to read things like the following:

In meetings with Pakistan's government, military, judiciary and political opposition leaders, he pressed the message that getting the refugees back home safely was as crucial, and perhaps even more immediately important, as the ongoing military offensive. Temporary refugee camps tend quickly to become permanent, he argued. They are breeding grounds for public dissatisfaction and recruitment centers for extremists; getting people out of them is key to building confidence in the government.

But is it me or does anyone else think it's problematic that the man responsible for America's Afghanistan and Pakistan policy was making pit stops on his way through the camp looking for information to 'take home to U.S. intelligence analysts and White House policymakers'. Is the U.S. mission in Pakistan that short-staffed?

Because I come pretty cheap and I'm more than happy to go traipsing around the country-side asking people about how the Taliban recruits in their village if that'll free up his time for policy-making and stuff.

Also, I understand building rapport with an interview subject can be difficult, but talk about an awkward moment:

Holbrooke asked some questions about the Taliban but got few answers. 'Are these all your children?' he asked with a smile. Yes, Khan said, he had nine.

'Your daughter is beautiful,' Holbrooke continued, nodding toward a young woman who sat quietly at the edge of the family. Her head was covered in a royal-blue scarf that revealed only her stunningly dark eyes.

'That's not my daughter,' Khan said abruptly. After an awkward silence, the woman explained that she was a Pakistani police officer. It was unclear whether she was there to protect Holbrooke from the refugees, or to monitor what they told him.

In other news, Islamabad is going ahead and wading into S. Waziristan. For the record, not much has changed in terms of my view about this since yesterday.

Comments

Good thing she was a cop. It can be considered incredibly insulting in that specific part of the world to ask about female family members (depending on what ethnicity this guy was).

Mike - 17 Jun 2009 (19:14)

Although, on the flip side of your COIN, the assault in SW is unlikely to be low-intensity. While many argue that Pakistan is unwilling to eat soup with a knife - for strategic or simply doctrinal reasons - given the task in SW and perhaps even Bajaur (if it ever comes to it) is going to be more reflective of a force-on-force clash, followed by a slightly more nuanced PSO. This is not to argue that shifting down gear to COIN is not advisable, but simply that given the task, and the frictions inherent (tactically and conceptually) in change, perhaps Swat is a reminder that the military still has what it takes Rather than bang on about military change, as both Holbrooke and Cooper have been doing - its time to take a step back and realise that change takes a very long time. It took the Indian army some twenty odd years to come to grips with COIN in both the NEast and Kashmir. On the Pakistan military and India, it is now perhaps safe to argue that there is an intellectual, even emotive shift underway in Islamabad. From the outset, its important for the military to push the 'India is a threat' line of argument, but the fact is that seven striker brigades have been moved out from the border with India. Any Indian military analyst will tell you that the existing balance is favourable to India, more than it has been in the last decade. Rhetoric aside, change is in the air, it is being gradually realised. This should not be interpreted to mean that the military no longer think that the Indian army is going to consume Pakistan, but that those at the top (in Pindi and at the corps level) have begun to caveat their hitherto one dimensional mode of thought. Look forward to offer some token thoughts on this new blog...

Anon - 17 Jun 2009 (21:41)

Mike - yeah, I tried to think of some sort of analogy for what someone would need to say to me that would be the equivalent of telling a Pashtun man you think his daughter is hot... and I'm not stumped. I probably should have made clear that was the awkward part, and that it was a GOOD thing it was not his daughter. Anon - My concerns exist on several levels. First, I'm worried that the Army will limit this to only taking out Baitullah and if they succeed they'll declare the mission complete, thus leaving a militant infrastructure in place. Second, I'm concerned they might actually fail to take out Baitullah. But what I'm really concerned about is a) using a kinetic-only approach in SW, creating a bigger refugee crisis, and not introducing any real governance solutions into the area, and b) distracting resources from Swat. The fact that they will need to extend back into Bajaur at some point is a direct result of a failure to follow through in the past with the hold and build segments of a clear, hold and build approach. This is not just about changing the culture within the military, but also about changing the culture regarding how to use the military. As for India, I'll grant you a subtle shift in the Army and even a not-so-subtle shift in Islamabad. I think there is a genuine realization that militancy is the more immediate problem. But from a resource perspective that means ceding ground to India in a race which Pakistan is already losing. And I'm not sure that Pakistan has come to grips with that fact.

Stephen - 17 Jun 2009 (23:37)

Nir Rosen commented at Abu Muqawama about this. Funny story. He said: in late 2004 i was on a road trip throughout paktia with a bunch of local pushtuns. they were very friendly and jocular and took me to all these little villages. one night i asked them which part of afghanistan had the most beautiful women. they all got silent and stern and finally one of them said "if you try to have an afghan gilrfriend we will kill you." i tried to explain that in every country men have a theory about where the most beautiful women are, but he just repeated "if you try to have an afghan gilrfriend we will kill you."

Mike - 18 Jun 2009 (11:42)

Maybe its a Pashtun cultural thing because I don't think they would have had the same reaction in the Northern part of Afghanistan where there are more Uzbeks, Tojiks, and Kyrgyz, etc.

Carter - 23 Jun 2009 (12:27)

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nzavxtux - 26 Jun 2009 (15:43)

just checkin up on,

Buld - 27 Jun 2009 (2:32)

lol... i am always smileing! 8),

Menteren - 27 Jun 2009 (13:09)

There's a cool vibe about your work. Where classy meets sensual, where provocative meets professional. It's no wonder you're so successful.,

Vient - 27 Jun 2009 (13:09)

xox, Sandee,

Stropoli - 27 Jun 2009 (13:09)

Ah Now I get it. That shit is pretty funny anyway lol. Thanks for making those pranks downloadable.,

Jeffeaux - 27 Jun 2009 (13:09)

Stoppin through to show luv! ,

Chucka - 27 Jun 2009 (13:09)

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Cheveresan - 27 Jun 2009 (13:31)

Have a great week and thanks!,

Firgrove - 27 Jun 2009 (13:31)

Dropped in to show u some luv.,

Domershick - 27 Jun 2009 (13:31)

nothing really.,

Ostafski - 27 Jun 2009 (13:31)

SUP,

Slatkovitz - 27 Jun 2009 (13:31)

Ah Now I get it. That shit is pretty funny anyway lol. Thanks for making those pranks downloadable.,

Mansett - 27 Jun 2009 (19:45)

So what have you been up to??,

Webersr - 27 Jun 2009 (19:56)

xox, Sandee,

Delchiaro - 27 Jun 2009 (20:07)

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