Friends of both countries are hesitant to point out these failures for reasons best understood by them alone. Corruption exists in large parts of the world and its existence in Pakistan and Afghanistan is not a unique phenomenon. It is only that the Global War on Terror has produced increasing complexity and urgency in the matter. Undoubtedly, corruption is a major problem in the Pakistan and Afghanistan.

David Gardner
11/2/2009

The real strategic challenge for the Western allies lies not in Afghanistan but in Pakistan. Pakistan is the prime example of a country where the potentially deadly dangers of nuclear weapons cross with the rising influence of jihadism. The West propped up General Pervez Musharaff’s regime with $12bn of military aid over ten years only to see the extremists running about out of control while the Pakistani army remains fixated with India. The problems of the whole central and south Asia region will remain unresolved while Pakistan’s world view remains India-centric.

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Tariq Alhomayed
09/30/2009

Alhomayed notes that Israelis took an extreme view of Iranian intentions, contrary to many Western countries. Iran also took an extremist position. President Ahmadinejad has tied nuclear development to Iran’s survival. If it wants Iran to give up nuclear development, the West may have to offer Iranian regional hegemony, a condition Arabs would not accept.

Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.

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Carlo Strenger
9/27/2009

European states became secular many centuries ago, opening the way to scientific inquiry and progress, writes Strenger. Israel was supposed to have been a secular state, but David Ben Gurion made a disastrous bargain with the orthodox establishment, opening the way to unique religious strife between Jews in Israel. Religious Jews should lead the way in pressing for secularization.

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Peter W. Galbraith
10/28/2009

The United Nations needs to appoint an envoy to oversee the runoff elections in Afghanistan because fraud could stain this vote as well, Galbraith says. The biggest obstacle to fair elections is the Independent Election Commission, which administers them. Afghan President Karzai appointed its members, and six of the seven commissioners voted in favor of procedures to benefit his campaign. The UN must stop pretending this is not a pro-Karzai institution and appoint an envoy to supervise the elections impartially. Even if Karzai wins the second round, the fraud from the first election will taint his victory. Dr. Abdullah, Karzai’s opponent, proposed constitutional changes for power-sharing, and the United Nations should encourage Afghans to consider them to emerge from the crisis of legitimacy.

Galbraith, a former United States ambassador to Croatia, was the deputy special representative of the secretary-general of the United Nations in Afghanistan from June 1 to Oct. 1.

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In this essay, a different solution is offered to the one currently proposed by Prsident Obama. It is one that suggests the possibility of establishing a one Democratic country for all its inhabitants and may prove to be more easily doable.

We can assume that Obama is aware of the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, and that he believes that these points constitute a reasonable first step towards honest negotiations. However, it appears that Netanyahu does not agree with the American president’s ideas. Will the Israeli prime minister be astute enough to realize that it is his brief to change what may evolve into an imposed settlement by proposing understanding, in order to lead to a settlement preferred by all?

Obama needs Netanyahu in order to be able to make progress towards a peace agreement in the Middle East to restore the United States’ image in the moderate Arab countries. Netanyahu needs Washington’s support in order to stand up to the threat of a nuclear Iran.

The majority of Israelis believe that a peace treaty based on a two-state solution is not within reach. Find out why.

• Middle East conflict: Is there really no partner?
  por Dan Bavly