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As part of our series on poorly understood religious leaders in conflict zones, we bring this piece by CSIS Burke Chair holder Dr. Anthony Cordesman to your attention. In it, Dr. Cordesman looks at Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani’s waxing and waning influence, and his role in everything from the SOFA agreements to his personal website.

Designing a New Cabinet-Level Department for International Development:  Modernizing the Structure of U.S. Foreign Assistance   
 
Please join us on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, from 1-3pm in the ground-floor conference room at InterAction (1400 16th St. NW) for a discussion about the rationale for, and proposed structure of, a new Cabinet-level Department for Global and Human Development. The discussion will focus on two new papers being released by InterAction:
 
“Why the U.S. Needs a Cabinet-level Department for Global and Human Development”
“Proposed Major Components and Organization of a Cabinet-level Department for Global and Human Development”
 
Panelists:
 
Lael Brainard, Vice President and Director, Global Economy and Development, the Brookings Institution
Tony Gambino, subject matter expert and former USAID Mission Director
Sam Worthington, President & CEO, InterAction
 
RSVP to eelliott@interaction.org

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Rick Barton appeared on CNN yesterday to discuss Iraqi oil contracts going to Western companies:

TODD: Are these agreements, no-bid contracts, according to “The New York Times,” tantamount to the spoils of war?

RICK BARTON, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTL. STUDIES: It’s really hard to get away from the feeling that our interest in oil was clearly one of our core strategic reasons for being in Iraq. And this doesn’t help with diminishing that argument.

During his introductory remarks today, Representative Vic Snyder pointed to the following chart on page 21 of the PRT report to highlight the convoluted command structure for PRTs in Afghanistan. He remarked, “this is what I wanted the cover [of the report] to be…with the title, ‘If You Understand This, You Don’t Need To Read It.’” Any takers?

Many guests at today’s event featuring Representative Vic Snyder have asked about where to find his subcommittee’s recent report on Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). The report, Agency Stovepipes vs Strategic Agility: Lessons We Need to Learn from Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan, published by the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, is available on the House Armed Services Committee website.

Last Friday we welcomed Patrick Cockburn, author of Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq. Dexter Filkins, from The New Republic, has a splendid and thorough review of the book here. We were also joined by Nadia Bilbassy-Charters, Senior Correspondent for Middle East Broadcasting, who interviewed Cockburn about the book and his impressions of al-Sadr. Audio is available here.

This article on how the internet/Google may be altering the way we think is great. It describes a physiological change akin to when we changed from memorizing things to writing them down, writing to typing, etc. Cool vignette about Nietzsche’s switch from writing to typing (b/c/o his bad eyesight) and how it changed even his way of arguing.

The Washington Post has the Defense Department video of the U.S. air strike across the Pakistani border:

In advance of our event this Friday, where we’ll be hosting Patrick Cockburn, author of Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq, check out this review of the book from the Washington Post. For full details on the event, go here.

After reading Ahmed Rashid’s Descent into Chaos, (notes on book below) you cannot help but admire a man who transcends biases and presents an authoritative and comprehensive account of U.S. involvement in nation-building in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.

On Friday, June 6th, the PCR Project and USIP hosted a discussion with Mr. Rashid who delivered a rich and informative overview of his book and views. Mr. Rashid demands a routing out of Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan before government-led negotiations continue with the militants. He explained that a government should not (and historically would not) talk with a guerrilla force unless that guerrilla force is losing—leaving the government with the upper hand.

Mr. Rashid believes that in order for a U.S. strategy to work, the United States must help bring an end to the Kashmir issue with India. As long as the Pakistan military is tied down to the traditional security threat presented by Kashmir, it will not give its full attention to the growing militancy in the NWFP and FATA. Concentrating on the Kashmir issue, he argues, should be part of a new U.S. regional strategy, interlocking problems of the region as a whole.

Mr. Rashid went on to tackle questions from the PCR Project Co-Director Rick Barton, followed by questions from an expert audience, moderated by J Alexander Thier, Senior Rule of Law Advisor, USIP. Please click here to watch the video.

Below is a compilation of notes on the book written by myself and PCR Project research assistant, Mark Irvine. Please browse the notes–hopefully they will encourage you to read the book: read the rest of this entry… »

SPIEGEL Online International had an interview with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on June 2nd.

President Hamid Karzai has come under fire for not doing enough to stem corruption in Afghanistan. He speaks to SPIEGEL about the coalition forces’ ties with warlords, rumors about his family’s influence and why he believes dirty deals are sometimes necessary.

“Are We Outsourcing Our National Security?”

WHEN:  June 18-19, 2008
WHERE: National Defense University, Marshall Hall, Room 155, Ft. McNair, Washington, DC
WHAT:  2-day seminar with continental breakfast and lunch served. There is no cost to participate. This seminar is a continuation of the NDU-CTNSP series of seminar courses on stability operations.
HOW to register:  Respond by email to CTNSP-NCO@ndu.edu with your name, title, position, organization, email and phone number