Pakistan Urges Obama to Stop Missile Strikes

Update: The Washington Post has a new story that sums up what's going on in Pakistan. Read it here.
Juan Williams of NPR said this morning that Obama authorized the missile strikes yesterday that killed up to 22 militants and apparently some civilians (there have been a number of estimates). Joe Biden, who recently visited Pakistan, will be on Face the Nation tomorrow, so we should get some more details. Obama hasn't commented on the strikes but appointed Richard Holbrooke, special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan is urging Obama to stop:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan urged President Barack Obama to halt U.S. missile strikes on al-Qaida strongholds near the Afghan border, saying Saturday that civilians were killed the previous day in the first attacks since Obama's inauguration.

Pakistani security officials said eight suspected foreign militants, including an Egyptian al-Qaida operative, were among 22 people killed in Friday's twin strikes in the Waziristan region.

But the Foreign Ministry said that the attacks by unmanned aircraft also killed an unspecified number of civilians and that it had informed U.S. officials of its "great concern."

"With the advent of the new U.S. administration, it is Pakistan's sincere hope that the United States will review its policy and adopt a more holistic and integrated approach toward dealing with the issue of terrorism and extremism," a ministry statement said.

"We maintain that these attacks are counterproductive and should be discontinued," it said.

Pakistani leaders complain that stepped-up missile strikes _ there have been more than 30 since August _ fan anti-American sentiment and undermine the government's own efforts to counter Islamist militants.

Obama Picks Mitchell and Holbrooke to Represent

Swamp: Trying to make good on the promise of his campaign and inauguration speech to raise diplomacy's role in U.S. foreign policy, President Obama visited the State Department on his second full day in office where he proclaimed a "new era of American leadership" in international affairs.

The president joined Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department for the announcement of the new administration's emissaries to two of the world's most troubled regions. Former Sen. George Mitchell was named the administration's special envoy to Israel and the Palestinian Authority while Amb. Richard Holbrooke will become special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"My appearance today... underscores my commitment to the importance of diplomacy in renewing American leadership," Obama told an audience filled with career foreign service officials. "...Let there be no doubt about America's commitment to lead. We can no longer afford drift, and we can no longer afford delay, nor can we cede ground to those who seek destruction."

Obama askes Israel to open borders with Gaza:

Aljazeera: Barack Obama, the US president, has called on Israel to open its borders with Gaza to humanitarian aid and commerce in his first public remarks on the crisis there since becoming president.

Obama, who said he was deeply concerned about the loss of life in Gaza, also reiterated the US view that Israel had a right to defend itself from Palestinian rocket attacks.

"Now we must extend a hand of opportunity to those who seek peace, as part of a lasting ceasefire, Gaza's border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce," Obama said.
The US leader was speaking at the state department as he named George Mitchell, former peace negotiator in Northern Ireland, as US special envoy for the Middle East.

Obama also reiterated the US backing for international demands made of the Hamas movement - that it recognise Israel, end violence and agree to recognise previous peace agreements with Israel.

He said the US would support efforts to end weapons smuggling across the Gaza border from Egypt.

However, he called for a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza following its offensive, and said the US would provide humanitarian and economic assistance to the millions of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesman, told Al Jazeera Obama's remarks seemed to show that the US viewed the situation through "Israeli eyes".

The devastation in Gaza is said to be shocking:

MSNBC: Opening a five-day trip to the region, U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes called the steep Palestinian casualty toll from Israel's offensive "extremely shocking" and suggested the United Nations might ask Israel to compensate it for wartime damage to U.N. compounds in Gaza. Hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid were destroyed by Israeli shelling that struck the main U.N. compound.

Mitchell says peace in the Middle East is possible. 
Here's Holbrooke talking in November about how to approach Afghanistan and Russia:

Obama envoy announcement transcript.

Pakistan's Zardari Says Attacks Were on Peace

NYT: The Mumbai attacks were directed not only at India but also at Pakistan’s new democratic government and the peace process with India that we have initiated. Supporters of authoritarianism in Pakistan and non-state actors with a vested interest in perpetuating conflict do not want change in Pakistan to take root.

Read the rest of Asif Ali Zardari's op-ed in the NYT.

Finger Pointing at Pakistan

At this rate, I hope that Obama will get to tackle some of the issues in the U.S. It seems India is ready to blame Pakistan for the terrorist attacks, not good for for trying to quell the violence in Afghanistan. Obama has been briefed.

The Times UK says India has itself to blame as well. The Australian says the attacks were a message to Obama. 

The Atlantic has a story about the Hindu-Muslim tensions in India. India has the third largest Muslim population.

It seems that there is a war of religions in the world, which is ironic, because all religions advocate peace.

NYT: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The terrorist attacks in Mumbai occurred as India and Pakistan, two big, hostile and nuclear-armed nations, were delicately moving toward improved relations with the encouragement of the United States and in particular the incoming Obama administration.

Those steps could quickly be derailed, with deep consequences for the United States, if India finds Pakistani fingerprints on the well-planned operation. India has raised suspicions. Pakistan has vehemently denied them.

But no matter who turns out to be responsible for the Mumbai attacks, their scale and the choice of international targets will make the agenda of the new American administration harder.

Reconciliation between India and Pakistan has emerged as a basic tenet in the approaches to foreign policy of President-elect Barack Obama, and the new leader of Central Command, Gen. David H. Petraeus. The point is to persuade Pakistan to focus less of its military effort on India, and more on the militants in its lawless tribal regions who are ripping at the soul of Pakistan.

A strategic pivot by Pakistan’s military away from a focus on India to an all-out effort against the Taliban and their associates in Al Qaeda, the thinking goes, would serve to weaken the militants who are fiercely battling American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

But attacks as devastating as those that unfolded in Mumbai — whether ultimately traced to homegrown Indian militants or to others from abroad, or a combination — seem likely to sour relations, fuel distrust and hamper, at least for now, America’s ambitions for reconciliation in the region.

Twittering the news of the attacks.
Reports that many of the terrorists are from Pakistan

Obama's working holiday

Deepak Chopra: This is a world problem. Muslims need to help.

Occidental Rebranding of America Report

A group of right, left and center college students at Occidental, politically speaking, came up with a report to help rebrand America and get it through some of its toughest problems. They drew up monthly and yearly steps to achieve the goals. 

They even concluded a timetable was the best way to get out of Iraq. the report covers Iran and nuclear proliferation, torture, oil and energy, Afghanistan, Pakistan...
Here is there plan, that apparently is being looked at by both campaigns and other bigwigs around the nation. 

A little about the report from the professor who taught the class.

However, at the urging of many students, I agreed to offer a prescriptive course in the spring term of2008—“American Grand Strategy.” The course’s purview was the future—what ought to be US foreignpolicy for the new administration that will come to power in January 2009. Students first looked at national and global public opinion and concluded that in the years after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush and his administration had squandered an enormous amount of international goodwill, lost considerable moralauthority for the country, and approached the world with an Us vs Them mentality. Such a divisive attitude rather than a levelheaded strategy did not make for successful foreign policy.

Here is the mission statement:

The Mission of the United States of America is to ensurethe government abides by the values enumerated in itsfounding documents; to secure the rights of its citizens; tobuild upon existing relations and foster new relationships inan effort to promote the economic and social well-being ofthe global community; to protect the United States and itsallies from traditional and transnational threats; to enhance the position of the developing world; and to guarantee theprinciples of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are universally obtained, for the sake of the Common Good.

The way it starts out:

During the Bush administration, the United States has severely diminished its international credibility, influence and position as a global leader. However, as the world’s predominant military, economic and political power, the United States not only has the opportunity to build a secure and prosperous environment for its own citizens, but also has a historically unique chance to act in the interest of the international community.

The 44th President of the United States will thus have to live up to the imperative of
promoting the Common Good in the international arena by developing a strategy to
reassert the United States as a responsible, accountable and credible global leader.

In general terms, the strategy of the United States during the next presidential
administration (and beyond) must include a renewed commitment to multilateralism. The US will have to reengage its traditional political and military alliances and partnerships to signal its readiness for broad international cooperation and ultimately leadership. Additionally, the United States will have to delineate issue areas of strategic importance that demand immediate attention.

I believe that was the signal Obama gave in his speech today.

Obama Meets With Karzai

Obama meets Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Minimal details on his Karzai meeting are below. Obama has said this is a "listening" trip. The WaPo wraps up Obama's visit with Karzai and his interview on Face the Nation.

Obama was just on Face the Nation. Here's some of what he said. Obama calls it "precarious and urgent" to move troops to Afghanistan. "This is where they plan attacks. They have sanctuaries here." 

One of the biggest strategic mistakes of the Bush administration was not finishing up in Afghanistan and rebuilding the country so people had confidence. "Now we have a chance to correct some of those errors," he said. 

The U.S. has to take a regional approach to the problem. The U.S. government can compel Pakistan to act against the Taliban by leveraging the amount of aid the U.S offers to Pakistan. The U.S. he said gives a considerable amount of aid to Pakistan. 

Lara Logan is a very good interviewer - Just thought I'd throw that in. She keeps an interview snappy, gets in her questions. 

We haven't seen as much political progress in Iraq but there are other success, Obama said. "This is a perfect moment for us to say, 'we're going to shift our resources.'"

What does "mission accomplished" look like in Afghanistan? Stabilized Afganistan. Disabled al Qaeda, so they can't attack. 

"Losing is not an option when it comes to Afghanistan." 

Logan: Can "war on terror" be won if Bin Laden is captured?

It would be a symbolic win but wouldn't solve the problem.  

Logan: There is a perception that you lack knowledge in world affairs? 

The interesting thing that the people who are very experienced in foreign affairs don't have doubts, he said. The purpose of the trip, he said, was to establish relationships with people he expects to have relationships for 8-10 years. 

He also wants to give a message that America intends to be a leader and a partner. 

Do you have any doubts? "Never." Go Obama. 

CNN: The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee met with Karzai in the capital city of Kabul during Obama's first visit to the Asian nation.

Shortly after the meeting, Obama left Afghanistan to continue a trip that will take him to the Middle East and Europe.

Although Obama is making the trip as a senator from Illinois and not a presidential candidate, it is aimed at boosting Obama's foreign policy credentials.

Obama has made Afghanistan a key focus of his foreign policy, saying that he would make it the central front in the "war on terror" if elected.

Reuters:

The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours and included lunch at the presidential palace in Kabul, covered a range of issues including terrorism and Afghanistan's vast narcotics trade, Karzai's office said in a statement.

The statement said the talks also touched on obstacles to efforts to rebuild Afghanistan after decades of war and amid a deadly insurgency by Taliban and other extremists.

Obama has made Afghanistan a key focus of his foreign policy pledges, saying it -- not Iraq -- should be the focus of the so-called "war on terror" and promising to send more troops to battle insurgents here if elected.

Petraeus Says Al Qaeda Moving to Afghanistan

I would say things are lining up with what Obama has been saying for months now. George Bush is trying to save face and let's let him. No sense in wasting any more time knocking him.
Gen. Petraeus says Al Qaeda may be moving from Iraq to Pakistan to fight in Afghanistan.

CBS: Senior leaders of al-Qaida may be diverting fighters from the war in Iraq to the Afghan frontier area, the top American commander in Iraq told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Gen. David Petraeus also said al-Qaida may be reconsidering Iraq as its highest priority war front.

"There is some intelligence that has picked this up," he said in the interview in his office at the U.S. Embassy along the Tigris River. "It's not solid gold intelligence," he added, stressing that the reliability of the information has not been confirmed.

Nonetheless, he cited the signs as part of a broadly positive review of conditions in Iraq, where al-Qaida fighters have been driven almost entirely from Baghdad and pummeled in other urban areas.

Petraeus said the information was based on human intelligence, meaning informants.

"There are unsubstantiated rumors and reflections that perhaps some foreign fighters originally intended for Iraq may have gone to the FATA," he said, referring to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, where militants have a secure staging ground for movements into neighboring Afghanistan.