The AfPak Channel

The AfPak Channel has become a premier clearinghouse of news and analysis from and about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and issues of transnational terrorism. Edited by Peter Bergen and Jennifer Rowland, dozens of contributing experts weigh in at the center of an important conversation about this most pressing foreign-policy challenge facing the United States, its allies, and the rest of the world.

Top Story

Hamid Karzai's risky rants

By Omar Samad | Friday, March 15, 2013

President Karzai's latest tirade confused Americans and Afghans alike. What did he say and why did he say it?

war and rights

What civilian casualties? Afghan forces' implausible denials

Trevor Keck Tuesday, March 12, 2013

In January, Afghan forces shot grenades and bullets at a remote village in Nangarhar province, in eastern Afghanistan. One civilian died, and villagers rushed six other injured residents to the hospital in Jalalabad. Nasir saw it all happen. He then had to beg $11,000 from friends and relatives to cover medical care for his injured family members. Read More »

energy crisis

Who's paying Pakistan's electricity bill?

Huma Imtiaz Friday, March 8, 2013

Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik always seems to be in the news for his outrageous statements, ranging from terrorists dressed like Star Wars' characters to attributing sectarian violence to men trying to get rid of wives and girlfriends. Another headline was added to the mix on Monday - Pakistan daily Dawn reported that Malik had not paid his electricity bills for more than 56 months, or a little less than five years. Read More »

balance of powers

Is Pakistan's military out of politics for good?

Shamila N. Chaudhary Thursday, March 7, 2013

Last week, three senior members of the Pakistani security establishment - including Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani, the country's most powerful military official - stated that the military will not interfere in the country's upcoming national elections. (Observers take note - when the Pakistani military plans to take over, it will let you know.) Read More »

sinister surveillance

Eye in the sky: Rand Paul's drone delusion

Konstantin Kakaes Thursday, March 7, 2013

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is right to worry about perpetual war, but wrong to worry about drones killing Americans in America. His concerns about domestic drone strikes unfortunately obscured a far more pressing debate about how to manage and regulate surveillance via drones and other techniques such as wiretaps and Internet traffic monitoring. Read More »

restricted area

Where are the AfPak industry's Afghans?

Dr. Saeed Parto and Matthew Trevithick Tuesday, March 5, 2013

As the United States and other NATO member countries gradually withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, a discussion is taking place on how to support the country after 2014. But the most important voice is missing: that of the Afghan people. Read More »

human rights vs politics

NATO's thorny prison dilemma

Louisa Loveluck Wednesday, February 27, 2013

As the majority of coalition forces prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan at the close of 2014, concerns are growing for the future of the detainees they must leave behind. During the course of the twelve-year war, NATO troops have apprehended thousands of suspected insurgents, most of whom have been released or transferred to the Afghan authorities. However, renewed fears regarding the prevalence of torture in Afghan custody have forced ISAF forces to halt the process of handing prisoners over to the Afghan authorities. Read More »

Pakistan Elections 2013

Pakistan's perplexing election process

Shamila N. Chaudhary Monday, February 25, 2013

Pakistani Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh resigned last week - a curious move since the government will soon dissolve in the coming weeks after it announces a date for national elections. It has been speculated that he left because of economic policy disagreements with the government, but Shaikh himself told several sources that he left because he is under consideration for the post of caretaker prime minister. If so, he joins a well-respected group of professionals considered for the post; Supreme Court Bar Association President Asma Jehangir, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) politician Raza Rabbani and former Supreme Court justice Nasir Aslam Zahid are among the names that have already floated. Read More »

Sectarian violence in Pakistan

Blood in the streets: Quetta's Hazara massacres

Niamatullah Ibrahimi Friday, February 22, 2013

At about 5:30 PM local time on February 16, a massive bomb ripped through a bustling street lined with grocery stores, schools, and tuition centers in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta. A water tanker packed with an estimated 2,200 pounds of improvised explosives had been detonated in the middle of busy crowds of children leaving their classrooms, and men and women buying groceries for their evening meals. Read More »