Can you say "Pakistan"?

What happens when you have a country with a huge army, nuclear weapons, religious fanatics, an unstable government, and a starving population? Can you say "Pakistan"?

WASHINGTON: The Pakistani state could collapse within six months if immediate steps are not taken to remedy the situation, warned a top adviser to the US Central Command. David Kilcullen, who advises CENTCOM commander Gen. David H. Petraeus on the war on terror, urged US policymakers to focus their attention on Pakistan as a failure there could have devastating consequences for the entire international community. Asked to explain why he thought Pakistan was so important, Kilcullen said: “Pakistan has 173 million people, 100 nuclear weapons, an army bigger than the US Army, and al-Qaeda headquarters sitting right there in the two-thirds of the country that the government doesnít control.” (Source.)

Mexico: governed soon by a drug cartel?

Mexico: A Collapse Update

Predicting the collapse of the Mexican Nation-State. Mexico is once again in the headlines. Oil production continues to fall, border violence is up, and the government is preparing for a showdown with the drug cartels. The Mexican state will collapse, ushering in the beginning of the end of the Nation-State. The US military’s Joint Forces Command issued their Joint Operating Environment 2008 report recently that listed Mexico and Pakistan as the most likely states to collapse in the immediate future (PDF, see p.35 for analysis of Mexico). Even 60 minutes ran a segment about the rising drug violence. Root causes of the problems in Mexico are the precipitous decline of Mexican oil production, declining remittance incomes being sent home by migrant workers in America, declining tourist revenues, and lower revenue per barrel of oil exported. Clearly the drug cartels smell blood—-and tactics like forcing the resignation of the Juarez police chief by killing one or more police officers every 48 hours demonstrate their desire for a decisive engagement. Additionally, the motivation behind a recent truce among rival drug cartels may be to facilitate a joint offensive against the government.

Overt Ops: : The US military has briefed the president on the US military capability to influence or intervene, presumably on the side of the government, in the growing civil war between the Mexican government and the drug cartels that control large portions of the country.

According to the The Washington Post, March 22, 2009, "Obama Pledges American Agents to Fight Mexican Drug Cartels. President Obama is finalizing plans to move federal agents, equipment and other resources to the border with Mexico to support Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s campaign against violent drug cartels." (Source.)

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

Obama orders 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan In a brief written statement issued by the White House, President Obama signaled that the escalation in Afghanistan would be combined with an intensified military intervention across the border in Pakistan.

Obama, not Bush, now seeking delay of Rove deposition Former Bush Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove has a new president urging Congress not to force him to testify next week. President Barack Obama.

Obama administration defends telecom immunity. The Obama Justice Department continues to stand behind a Bush era law meant to prevent lawsuits against telecommunications companies accused of illegally sharing private customer information with intelligence agencies.

Crass Warfare: The rich claim that Obama's plan to tax the top 2% of Americans - those making over $250,000 - is the beginning of class warfare. The other 98% of Americans certainly hope so. The GOP claims this will pit the have-nots against the haves, instead of their plans, which have always pitted the haves against the have-nots.

Under executive orders issued by Obama just two days into his tenure, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as renditions, secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"This is your captain speaking, everyone remain calm, everything is under control. "

Cheers