Leo Strauss ruined my graduate school experience and caused the Iraq War. Or maybe not? Chicago Reader investigates the hidden imam of neo-conservatism. I blame Bernard Lewis, actually.
Foreign Policy Magazine TV interviewed some ambassadors of countries on their Failed State Index. You can watch Amb. Mahmud Ali Durrani defend Pakistan. "Don't blame us for everything", indeed. The news-junkies can also listen to a podcast by him on Pakistan and the War of Terrifying Terrors.
Check out this surreal TV interview with Nawaz 2.0 -- New and improved formula! Speaking in English! Suit and tie! Waxing eloquently about the rule of law! ;)
And there is this National Geographic article on Pakistan.
BLITZER: I don't know about you, but I keep hearing suggestions from some influential elements out there that what Iraq really needs is a strongman, someone not necessarily like Saddam Hussein who was a thug and a killer, but someone, let's say, like a Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan or a Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. WARE: Well, look, Wolf, you know, what we're talking about here is essentially what's dubbed the Musharraf option, precisely what you're talking about, putting a strongman in place. Now, this is something that was — has been talked about and mooted (ph) since even before the invasion. It's now known that that was the CIA's preferred option for regime change. They said coup d'etat. Cut off the head, put in our own guy and then cut out the cancer of the Iraqi Baathist apparatus as we go. I certainly know very influential special forces commanders and other leading generals here in the country who have been pushing for solutions just like that since way back in 2004. (full transcript below the fold) (Unrelated but hilarious if not very tragic that US of A looking for a Musharraf option in I-RAK while there are winds of change in Pakistan. MA
Ah glories of imperialism! Couple that with Clinton's comment that we need to replace Maliki - it warms my heart. Thanks for that.
enjoyed ambassador durrani's interview thoroughly, especially the part where he answers the question about whether the ISI knows the whereabouts of OBL. nice bit of fielding.