Online Edition

By Malik Ahmad Jalal* – On a visit of Pakistan in July, the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen acknowledged the success of the military operation against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in South Waziristan and Swat.  However, the highest-ranking U.S. military commander also expressed concern that Pakistan’s reluctance to fight the formidable Haqqani Network in North Waziristan is undermining the US efforts in Afghanistan.  The U.S. pressure on Pakistan to “do more” is likely to increase as the Obama Administration views the dismantling of the Afghan Taliban in North Waziristan as crucial to its exit strategy

By Nina Catalano – News south of the U.S. border is not good these days. Mexican drug traffickers are supplementing their already gruesome violence with terrorist tactics, and Central America is increasingly faced with the destabilizing spillover effects of Mexico’s war: homicides increased 37% in El Salvador last year, while Guatemala continues to lurch through chaos.  U.S. officials, on the other hand, are touting the pending deployment of 1,200 National Guard troops to the border and the recently passed 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act, which provides an extra $175 million in assistance for Mexico.  But is it enough? Two new reports