They're having a party in Pakistan

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Thursday, April 16, 2009 - 7:35 PM Share

The new issue of CTC Sentinel, West Point's terrorism monitor, has an interesting article about the connection between Pakistan's FATA and terrorism in Europe. Essentially, it says that the FATA is fuelling much of the terror in Europe. It also confirms that Pakistan is the hot new destination for those wanting to make big jihad:

Alain Grignard, who heads counterterrorist operations for the Belgian Federal Police, said that the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan have replaced Iraq as the destination of choice for aspiring jihadists from Belgium and other countries on the European continent. According to Grignard, "Not since the year before 9/11 have we seen as many people travel towards the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict region."

(This reminds me a bit of a line in Fred Anderson's Crucible of War -- yes, it should have been in my top 10 list -- about how, during the French & Indian War, Indian warriors traveled from as far as Iowa to join the French attack on Fort William Henry in what is now upstate New York.)

The Sentinel also offers an illuminating piece on the growth and structure of the Taliban and affiliates in the Pakistani province of Punjab. It says a lot of them were trained and equipped by the state, are better educated and technologically savvier than their Pashtun confreres, and are increasingly using heavy weapons.

This quotation underscores the international breadth of the problem:

Perhaps the best explanation of the Punjabi Taliban's structure came from Tariq Pervez, the newly appointed head of Pakistan's nascent National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA): "ideas, logistics, cash [comes] from the Gulf. Arab guys, mainly Egyptians and Saudis, are on hand to provide the chemistry. Veteran Punjabi extremists plot the attacks, while the Pakistan Taliban provides the martyrs."

Overall, I am struck by how quickly the Sentinel has become one of my essential reads. I think this is partly a reflection of the electronic age-they can pull together an issue and publish it almost instantly, with the electrons racing around the globe. It reminds me a bit of Andrew Exum's Abu Muquwama and The Small Wars Journal, which went from start-ups to essentially daily reads almost overnight. It also represents a form of disintermediation, which may be one reason that newspapers are becoming less important. That is, if the experts can publish their own newsletter and make it broadly available, why wait for generalist reporters to re-hash it?

ASGHAR ACHAKZAI/AFP/Getty Images

EXPLORE:PAKISTAN, TERRORISM

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BILL KELLER

10:18 AM ET

April 17, 2009

How far does the antibody travel..

Tom;

If as some think that groups or nations act very similar to a living organism, this immune reaction becomes understandable and predictable. This instinctual reaction of Indians from Iowa, the jihad to Pakistan or crusaders to the Holy Land then happens without thought that the brain might add. The question may be what incites it? And what it reacts to? A culture that beats women, enslaves them and murders them finds an immune system that fights the intrusion of the disease of equality. A band of bankers from a culture of pillage in the promise land finds a immune system that protects them from a virtue of honesty. A conservative christian can find a biological barrier from the intrusion of thought or even virtues appearing in the Gospels. Banding comes with an immune system against almost anything and can attract attack cells from as far away as it can be sensed.

ORPHANRED1

2:50 PM ET

April 17, 2009

Is Punjab a tipping point?

This expansion of the conflict into Punjab province, in my mind, represents the most dangerous development of this nascent civil war that appears to be unfolding before our eyes in Pakistan. If Punjab is the Pakistani heartland, and the Taliban is rapidly expanding it's control of areas outside the cities with increasingly sophisticated and powerful weapon systems it raises a couple of very disturbing questions. Does it not at least imply that the Pak Taliban enjoy a relatively broad, or at least significant, level of support from the local "mainstream-heartland" Pakistani populace with weapons reflecting at least some tacit support from military or intelligence sources? That being the case, how long before a Swat Valley deal is struck in the heartland of the Pakistani State? What will India's reaction be (with the possession of the Pak nuclear arsenal in question)? Troubling developments, all around.
D. Eakins
Columbus, OH

FPCOMMENTS

6:33 PM ET

April 17, 2009

I suggest that in many cases,

I suggest that in many cases, it's more a matter of intimidation than outright support of Taliban goals. And according to today's New York Times, some Taliban elements have been very clever in exploiting class resentments, so they've co-opted followers who may not necessarily believe in all their goals. Pakistan never went through land reform. It should have.

JKGRIFF25

11:43 PM ET

April 19, 2009

Mr. Ricks, Since you are

Mr. Ricks,

Since you are arguing to shut down my school, I would appreciate it if you not use a West Point publication as one of your primary sources. Thanks.

NIKOLAS_BISMARK

12:29 PM ET

April 20, 2009

Counterterrorism Center @ -West Point-

MR Ricks,

I'll be both suprised and impressed if if you respond to this comment, but it is worth giving you the chance. I believe the above comment was referring to the fact that it is curious to many reaaders to question how you can both condemn the military academies while at the same time admitting that you read a publication produced by one of them? Now, no, at first glance this does not necessarily mean that West Point is necesarily a great academic institutiton, but lets examine a few facts.

The CTC does not only do research or produce the Sentinel but it also is in charge of teaching multiple classes through the Department of Social Sciences, such as the introductory Combatting Terrorism class which features regular guests such as Bruce Hoffman and GEN Abizaid (one of those other military officers from West Pointer, like Petraeus, with a PHD). By being a great academic center at West Point, the CTC exposes thousands of cadets to scholars and ideas that other students can only interact with through reading the Sentinel. Not that these people dont travel to other schools, but almost all of the best scholars in terrorism academia travel to WP frequencty. Furthermore, it helps cadets stay balanced by helping find cadets projects and summer assignments with agencies outside of the DOD.

This seems to support the idea that maybe West Point is worth a few extra tax payers dollars. Oh, by the way, did I mention that the CTC is one of those pesky organizations where some tax-payer money meets the millions of dollars generated by wealthy West Point graduates trying to give back to the community? I wonder what kind of oppertunitites, how much money, and what kind of academics would be a lost if we try to save a few million dollars by cutting the service academies.

Just a thought.

-Nikolas

NYGDAN

3:55 PM ET

April 23, 2009

The Black and White

Any information as to who the demonstrators are? That Black and White flag pops up a lot in pakistani demonstrations. I think its usually used in the punjab, and I /think/ that the stripes at least sometimes are meant to represent the snow capped mountains (white) and valleys (green, maybe black here???) of kashmir. But of course I am not so familiar with it. I think its the Flag of the MMA.