The recent NATO air strike, which killed 24 and injured 13 Pakistani border troops, is the most recent breakdown in the crucial relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan. Although this year has seen many flashpoints between the two nations, whether it be the C.I.A contract employee who killed two Pakistanis, the killing of Osama Bin … Continue reading
Author Archives: Joshua Plaschkes
Israeli Secuirty to Help Kenya’s Fight Against al-Shabab: A Method For Combating Increased Isolationism?
The Arab Spring has created a tumultuous regional environment, leading many to point to an Israel that is becoming increasingly isolated from the international community. Recent examples of Israel’s isolation include the Palestinian’s bid for statehood at the United Nations, French President Nicolas Sarkozy calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “liar,” Defense Secretary Leon … Continue reading
The Final Deal to Swap Gilad Shalit for 1,027 Terrorists
Seeing the long awaited release of Sergeant Gilad Shalit is truly a positive development for a region wrought with constant turmoil. It has been five years since Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas and imprisoned in Gaza without any contact with family, friends, or the Red Cross. Both the Israeli government and Hamas have deemed the … Continue reading
Understanding Iran’s Assassination Attempt
Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement of an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi envoy to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, a key advisor to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, came as a surprise to many in the U.S. and the international community. The plot itself seems like something out of a movie, full of espionage, secretive … Continue reading
Turkey Priminister Tayyip Erdogan’s Stance Towards Israel, a return to pan-Arabism?
By: Joshua Plaschkes The recent breakdown in relations between Israel and Turkey is a truly disturbing revelation amidst the ongoing turmoil of the Arab Spring. Turkey has traditionally been one of Israel’s strongest regional allies and has been incredibly supportive of the West, a rarity in the Middle East. In fact, Turkey was the first … Continue reading
Pakistan’s Link to the Haqqani Network and the U.S. Response
By: Joshua Plaschkes The recent assertion by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, that the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) agency is directly linked to the Haqqani network’s attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, and the truck bomb at a NATO outpost in the south of Kabul, is a truly … Continue reading
The Conflict Over the Palestinian’s U.N. Proposal for Statehood
By: Joshua Plaschkes Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’s United Nations (U.N.) proposal for the creation of a Palestinian state has brought the Israeli-Palestinian conflict back into the spotlight. All sides agree that the Palestinians should have a state of their own, one that lives side-by-side with Israel in peace, but the issues that have remained so … Continue reading
Should the U.S. Adopt Israel’s Counterterrorism Strategy?
By: Joshua Plaschkes Georgetown University Professor Dr. Daniel Byman’s discussion on his new book, “A High Price,” analyzes Israel’s fight against terrorism in order to determine if the U.S. should incorporate Israel’s counterterrorism strategy into the asymmetric wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Although Israel has been extremely successful operationally, Dr. Byman points to several significant … Continue reading
Intelligence Post 9/11
By: Joshua Plaschkes The American intelligence community has changed considerably since 9/11 in order to combat the asymmetric threat the U.S. now faces. Over the past decade, the intelligence community’s focus on a grand strategy for combating terrorism has evolved into an increasingly symbiotic relationship with the military and paramilitary in their tactical operations. … Continue reading
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