found this illuminating. waiting for the take of ‘patriots’ on this.

gracias @dmin…for sharing this.

i hate this guy
he s extremely un patriotic

He only talked as anti-pakistani and anti-muslim.Never mentioned the deaths of inncoent people due to this faked war.

Ahmed Rashid spoke out brilliantly.what I understood is that he trying to say that the bush administration should stop backing military regime in Pakistan rather they should work with the popularly elected regime if they really want to win this so called war on terrorism because Mush govt has totally failed in demolishing the sanctauries based along Pkistan -Afghanistan Border.

A.R. makes a living out of dissing and pissing on Pakistan. The so called Central Asian expert cannot speak a single Central Asian langauge, enuff said

Ahmed Rashid is Karzai;s friend and CIA puppet………wat else u need to understand his BS.
No credibility at all

so afghanis welcomed americans, what the hell this guy is talking about. i was watching some western news channel in which they were saying that people move to those villages which are captured by taliban.

@tk and peja, mbokhari, savage, nota

….interested in your take on this..

Look dear all v should be very careful in denouncing some one without any logic.if u listen to AR interview hes telling americans in their tone to understand the ground situation.At the same time he tries to criticise US policy towards Pakistan. I believe its Musharraf who wanted to project the image of pakistan as an emerging talibanized state the way he tackled Lal Masjid. To me Musharraf is more un patriotic than AR.
and v can’t close our eyes on buildindg up taliban sactuaries in Pakistan.If u dont believe that v haven’t ,visit bbcurdu.com/videos where Baitullah Mahsud talks about american dictation to our govt and no body in Pakistan disagrees with him atleast on this point.

lot of inaccurate comments he his making in this interview in order to sell his books.

I’d take a seemingly unpatriotic but competent and rational analyst any day over an incompetent but patriotic windbag.

Truth hurts. AR is not an ambassador for Pakistan. Don’t hold him accountable for betraying his “race” or his “people”. His job as a journalist and analyst is to present facts with research in a dispassionate matter.

Charlie Rose is getting old. He called NS a “presidential candidate”…haha….

Afghans welcomed the US? Karzai was a good choice? Wrong
Mush is deeply hated? US working against the democratic government? True

He gets some right. He gets some wrong. Make up your own mind but first LISTEN to the guy. Don’t take anybody’s word that X is unpatriotic or Y is a sher.

What I find troubling is, his links to shadowy groups like the Soros group. Read on.

———————————
=Bio=

Ahmed Rashid was born in Rawalpindi,Pakistan in 1948 and was educated at Malvern College England, Government College Lahore and at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University. He lives in Lahore with his wife and two children.

I think this is a GOOD interview.. it should be listened to and we should keep in mind that ‘perception is reality’ .

I think we should heed the call of Herr mBokhari! and listen to the guy dispasisonately.. I’m thinking I should read his book.. but I don’t want to shell out..

Plus he’s a Ravian! b!tches!!!

P.S. @mbokhari: btw, I agree with his assertion regarding the afghans ‘welcoming’ the US in the beginning.. though I do think it was more of a ‘toleration’ and ‘indifference’ rather than a welcome.. and in retrospect, it may not seem such a bad thing to the NATO forces and the Americans.

17:00 onwards .. he talks about how the US should deal with it. I think he’s talking geo-strategically and we should stop over-emoting on tactical issues when looking at this interview.

These arguments I´v already heard from several Know-it-all people like him here. These are only platitudes and he says and writes things what a specific group of policy maker here in the west want to listen and read and specially if he(writer) is one of us. I know some cases here in germany , whenever somebody and specially a Muslim write a book and bash his religion and blame islam for their bad social behaviour, he or she will get extraordinary presence in all kinds of media. They act as their chief witness.

Brilliant! I’m going to steal his book somehow and read it. He also mentioned 80% of the 11 Billion of ‘aid’ to Pakistan went to the military … (whose budget the Pakistani’s haven’t been allowed to see since 1960)

I don’t know much about this guy’s background, but either way, I don’t think he should be dismissed out of hand. His book should be read and if it is creating the wrong perceptions in the minds of the American policy makers and opinion makers than those should be systematically and methodically tackled at the academic front.

I’m sure HEC can provide some scholars as our institutes of ’strategic studies’ seem also to have become soruces of political rewards rather than places where responses emanate to such intellectual threats to our national interests in the meme world.

V.S.Naipul has a character in one of his novel “Among the Believers” An Islamic Journey. I believe this character is infact AR.
AR past is quite interesting. He is now married to a spanish lady.

@samberlin
“These are only platitudes and he says and writes things what a specific group of policy maker here in the west want to listen and read and specially if he(writer) is one of us… They act as their chief witness”

He is the poster child — like Salman Rushdie is paraded for “Islam”, Dinesh D’Souza for “immigration”…

@TK
Again I will take issue with the numbers AR quotes. The “aid” is 10 billion and not 11. And it is widely admitted 90% of it goes to the military. I am sure he knows the right numbers but is intentionally skewing them. I am sure there is no mention of the fact that this war of terror has (as reported by CENTCOM) cost us $20 billion so in fact it is we who have given 10 billion to their cause and it is they who owe us at least 10 billion dollars (with interest>)….

For those who enjoy AR, may also recommend Shuja Nawaz…

Assalam-o-Alaikum,

No doubt Mr. Charlie Rose was well prepared for the interview with Mr. Ahmed Rashid in contect to his book launching ” Descent into Chaos ” in which he tried his level best to brought all burning issues to potrate an over all ugly face of south and central asian political situation to promote the ideas floted internationally by CIA for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

More than 95 % muslims setteled in all over the world strongly condemn the tragedy of 9 / 11 brutal and un-acceptable act faced by the people of United States in 2001. The reaction just after it happen, President of United States George W. Bush and his team was really prepared to put charge on certain people and organisation without any proper intelligence detail which gives the impression to the international print and electronic media that this event is plan, mobilized, financed and executed by the muslims which is against the christianity and jewish ………. it means MUSLIMS started JIHAD against the NON MUSLIMS or CHRISTIANITY.

But time has proved that it was a dis-information spread by the Central Intelligence Agency to make the plan easier to invade some of the main muslim countries to involve them and engage in the name of WAR ON TERROR to make it possible what the blue print allow the super power to bring changes as it was planned in the NEW WORLD ORDER.

Even after seven years almost passed, more or less 150 countries exist in the world are still figuring out on certain issues that how it could be possible that two dozzens foreigners belonging to Saudi Arabia were getting trainning from different flying clubs in United States and getting the tution or trainning fees from the bank account of Germany.

If it was happening in any third world countries, it is understandable that these countries have no security and safety plan as well as they are not so good in internal and external intelligence network. But if it was happening in United Stated gives the impression that it was all fabricated and mobilised by some organised plan triggered by the powerful un-seen hands using few dozzens sick muslims to achieve a bigger goal to hammer muslims after that incidence like 9 / 11 in which thousands of innocent people killed in United States.

Ahmed Rashid even knowing all these facts, did not highlight and discussed those points in his book. He did not brought the facts in his interview introducing “Descent Into Chaos”, that why the Iraq and Afghanistan was attacked by United States and his allies and killed million of innocent muslims. But on the other hand, Mr. Ahmed tried to introduced his logic supporting the american administration acts on the WAR ON TERROR.

He is not an expert on Central Asian Political Situation, but he is a puppet of United States and willing to speak and write what ever they ask him to write against Muslims of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to make them more contreoversial on certain important issues like nuclear proliferation and talibanisation in this muslim triangle states. The last episode of un-popular President Pervez Musharraf is in process as well as Afghan President Hamid Karzai both are very demoralised and looking for safe pessage before the departure of Bush other wise they will be chopped by the local public of Pakistan and Afghanistan in coming days.

In last 50 years, muslim countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq have no past history of suicide blasts and attackers. It is very hard and difficult to blow your self with a bomb on your body for some cause to get world attention and to terrorise millions through print and electronic media after killing and wounded few dozzens people with blowing him and her self in public places. So the important thing is to find out the route cause of the problems and find out the solutions as soon as possible to bring peace in the world instead of invading the muslim countries and faced the counter attacks in return.

Peace is the only solution for the millions of people living in all over the world, aggression is the poor and dangerious option for the hope and implementation of NEW WORLD ORDER. So the decision makers have two clear options to choose one best for all humanity. The blame game should be stopped and face the reality by coming U.S. Administration get emerged through election in the end of 2008.

Mr. Ahmed Rashid, under estimated the present political leadership of PPP, PML(N), ANP and PTI who have the courage and ability to handle all kind of national and international issues and they know very well to shut ugly and un-controlled mouth of Hamid Karzai. So no need of giving impression that Pakistan can also be attacked by the NATO forces either the help of using the land or air fields of Afghanistan or India. The only thing which is understandable for the U.S. Government and the NATO forces is that they are very much know about the capability of Pakistan Arm Forces and the leadership of all three services chiefs who are very well equiped by our national hero Dr. Abdul Qadir Khan to protect the Pakistan for all kind of forign aggression and air attacks, so no world power take us lightly because we are not Iraq or Palestine.

The way AR is entertained in western media, because he spoke against the interest of Pakistan. Show me one example, that any writer spoke in favour of Pakistan, and he was given this warm welcomed and long duration talk on western media???? Just see their public TV is like this what they would be showing on private TV channels!!!!! Hatred against Pakistan.

What western media is saying here, that we were just blaming Pakistan, but here is a Pakistani, himslef accepts and endorse our claims publically. Now what the American poeple will think of Pakistan???
It dosen’t give them good impression of Pakistan.

Western media trial, preparing the case against Pakistan for possible future strikes, they are making the mind of Amercians that it is 100% ligitimate to attack or sanctionise Pakistan.

We do have some people, who will sell their mothers for money or other
personal benefitable interest..

Now give me single example, western media ever shown anything in favour of Pakistan for 60 minutes (not 1 or 2 second duration).

Every country has good and bad things, no body on this earth is angel, give me single example of western media prepared talk program (60 or more minutes talk) against India, like this???

Give me single example on which American media channel, Kashmiri’s atrocities caused by India, are disscussed like this???

What you can expect from baised media.

We don’t have only one (mother seller) AR, we have more than one.

AR’s didn’t write this book keeping Pkistani readers in mind, he knows that, he can’t sell this book more than few in Pakistan, so question arises for whom it is written for??? It is prepared for western public, to brainwash there minds, and give negative image of Pakistan or demonise Pakistan.

Can anyone tell me what was the truth in his interview he lied all the time,
OPIUM cultivation is in those areas where British troops having hold of the land & this is completely supported by British troops.
Talibanization of Pakistan, Taliban(of Pak) never wanted how Pakistan should be run rather they demanded how their land should be governed.
What he didnt mentioned that, it was proposed by US think tanks that Pakistan should be broken to pieces thats why all terrorists attacks trace back to border areas.
How India and US funding Baloch separatists he didnt mentioned that also.
Everything is going to plan of US to disarm Pak and break her.
It is what we think that our nuclear capability is for us, but what matters is what western powers think they think Pak as a threat to them.

so-called AR such an innocent expert who dosen’t know anything about India’s wrong doing, what a funny thing!!! AR is also a part of the problem, beside other mother sellers.

sold out people like AR don’t make lives of people of Pakistan difficult, but they also make the lives of overseas pakistani worst which is already difficult, who are providing major part of foreign exchange for Pakistan.

the biggest problem with this interview and much similar discourse is that it takes the American claim to be serious about War on Terror as serious.
Once you accept ‘War on Terror’ on face value - that it is rooted in a genuine desire to defend and spread democracy and freedom - everything that AR said follows.
It is beacuse of this reason that so many superficiality come out - US left Afghanistan beacuse they wnated to move in Iraq. US is thus presented as simply have made a ‘mistake’.

Once one is willing to challenge the US rhetoric and refuses to take it on face value, new posisbilities emerge. One of them is that the raeson US never ‘forced’ Mush to clean Taliban was that neither Paksitan nor US was ever serious in getting rid of the ‘enemy’ which would have removed the rationale of its own existence.

and so on

What is in interest of Pakistan that is most important for us, like rest of the nations do, they think and adopt that way, for example something can be of my interest, which may be not in your interest, you will never support my view point, no matter how right am I.

This world is rotating around “Matlub”/selffishness. That is true on small scale and same is true on large scale.

It is said that “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” meaning that when people don’t have any argument left to make they attack someone’s integrity and patriotism. Bush administration and Mush Admin, both do it too, when people ask tough questions, they try to shut them down by calling them unpatriotic.

So whatever you think of what AR personally is not the issue, let’s deal with the substance.

He is making the point we all have many times. Muhsaraf and Bush nexus was bad for “war on terrorism” - hence once Bush and Mush both leave office, we shall all be on a better path to sane and prudent anti-terror policy. Mush sold himself as the sole moderate force against terrorists, and we all know that is not true. He even turned peaceful people into terrorists and desperados. So let’s focus on the argument. Also keep in mind that Charlie Rose is not exactly the best person to ask questions about this problem. He is at best a light weight in journalism.

Assalam-o-Alaikum, (INCONTINUATION OF MY PREVIOUS REMARKS)

Ahmed Rashid, might forget to tell viewers that this is the same Pakistan and Afghanistan’s muslim peoples which were mobilized and financed by the President Bush and the Pentagon authoritise billions of dollars on monthly basis secretly the American’s tax payers money when they want to crush in small pieces the giant super power of that region USSR.

This is the fact, that biggest mistage of General Zia-Ul-Haq to support the Americans and let Pakistan used as a transit place for all kind of financial and military support to the freedom fighters in Afghanistan against USSR who forcefully attempt to invade Afghanistan and march towards Pakistan for sea ports which was the next requirements but they forget to learn from history that many powerful invaders tried to attack Afghan tribes in last hundreds of years but each and every time the invaders get defeated, so world have seen how USSR got defeated and now people are expearancing that how Americans and the allied forces are spending the trillions of dollars for holding the position for face saving to show the entire world that we have not lost the war in Afghanistan. But the fact is, they are badly defeated and the innocent soldiers feel that we are fighting with those who infact are not terrorist or danger for the american people, they are only fighting with the allied forces they believe that their land AFGHANISTAN is invade by the foreign troops by the help and assistance of a puppet present Afghan government and the President Hamid Karzai.

American President Bush, is constantly pressurising his intelligence agencies to pick each and every one from the world who have any link and interaction with O.B.L., but being the founder, financer, supporter, mobilizer and mastermind he did not tell the american people the truth that my family was the first host of Ossama Bin Ladin in America in their ranch and on other safe places before the game was started. The game which was begun 25-30 years before with the support of O.B.L. ,to demolish the Kingdom in Saudi Arabia now spread to all over the world because rules of the game was not followed by the american administration and O.B.L. get angry due to dirty games involving several other powerful agencies of the world so he become WANTED.

The dirty games always ends, like we are observing at the present condition in the world unnecessarly started by ruling super power. Ahmed Rashid, must have some hatrate for Pakistan or Muslims thats why he was tuching the sensitive matters of national security support the cause of american policies and let it down the freedom fighters declaring them terrorists. The time will prove itself what was the reality and what was dis-information spread by the people like Ahmed Rashid.

@nota: OK, 11 vs 10… but that doesn’t invalidate all other things he’s said (in this interview). I don’t know much about this guy so I will refrain from arguing and sounding like I’m defending him. However, from this interview, I didn’t see a whole lot of things that sound ‘unpatriotic’ to me. The IK perspective is a navel gazing perspective and ultimately detrimental to Pakistan’s strategic interests. Also, being America’s b!tch is also detrimental to Pakistan’s str. interest. America supporting Pakistan and it’s rag-tag democracy is in Pakistan’s strategic interest (and in America’s)

He talked about the failures of the bush admin and the west in general in not concentrating on the Afghanistan area and that is how things are going to be now. We can stick our heads in sand about it all we want. Obama is most likely to win and he has already talked about his admainistrations policy in this regard….

Instead of engaging in semantic debates Pakistan will need to do execute some stabilization measures to stem this deterioration in our sovereignty. It doesn’t matter what they call TWAT .. the thing is that it is a huge reality and trillions are being spent on it for some reason (to me it seems the New Great Game and China plus Russia are the ones being encircled) — taking of the oil resources is part of the same plan.

I would like to hear you or someone else (non emotional analysts) deconstruct a statement in this interview which shows the claims that are being made against him (being “salman rushdi-esque” … being unpatriotic, equivalent of Dinesh Disouza.. etc. etc.)

I just want to understand why I’m not seeing this sinister ‘pehlu’ of Ahmed Qureishi right away that some of you gentle people are seeing? But one thing is for sure, his audience is not even the Pak. Establishment and policy makers (as they’re too far gone in their stupidity and navel gazing) .. so I don’t mind him taking a global look on this issue.

Descent into chaos may be a title chosen to go with the general sentiment prevailing in the west re: Pakistan… but the blame for that cannot be put on AR .. that is a bigger game and our Zionist friends and our Hindutva friends are part of that.. The question for us is how the F do we get out of this predicament when our ruling class is hell bent on handing our nation to our enemies on a platter (Zardari, Moshe, Haggani, Altaf, JI, etc etc included in this group of willing/unwitting/unwilling abettors of the foreigners)

I hope this makes some sense.. I hate small text boxes.

should pay attention towards india. Which is most important for our friends

AR analysis has always been not to the liking of Pakistani Establishment and the general awam.
Mostly its rational . But we dont like to hear that.

All posts tagged PAKISTAN over there

This will be my contribution to this cause

i would love to see charlie rose interview with IK. i am sure we will see lot of fireworks in that one.

@TK
suggestion. People like Daniel Barenboim (a great friend of Edward Said) and others to be added to the list .

@FSM: bbbu … bbbbuut…bbbuuuutt he’s a jew???? and Edward Said was a cccchhhrisstian…. !!!!

la-hol-valaa-quvvat-…….

I guess he counted only Karachiites.

Ahmed Rashid on Berkley TV (Conversations with History):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWsmJIwe9Q4

Worth a listen IMO.