he Pakistani army managed to flush the Taliban out of their stronghold in South Waziristan in an offensive launched a year ago. But will they be able to keep them out?

September 17th, 2010 (Geopoliticalmonitor.com) - Karachi is under lockdown after Imran Farooq was murdered outside his home in north London.

The explosion that killed 53 people at a Shia rally in Quetta city is just the beginning of what will come to be a wave of militant attacks aimed at taking advantage of the chaos that is descending over Pakistan.

Severe flooding in Pakistan has created a dangerous situation for the already-beleaguered civilian government in Islamabad.

Despite the chorus of positivity emanating from Washington and several media outlets, the capture of Mullah Baradar in Karachi does not entail a hard swing towards cooperation on the part of the Pakistani government.

Two major developments occurred in Somalia last week: a merger between the Ras Kamboni Brigade and al-Shabab, and al-Shabab’s long-suspected but hitherto unmade declaration of open alliance with Al Qaeda. Both do not bode well for the survival of the beleaguered Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Mogadishu.

The latest political tensions in Pakistan, which could see key members of government ousted, threaten to unravel President Obama's Afghan strategy before it even has the chance to take root.

It turns out Islamabad's reprieve is to be short-lived, as the Pakistan Taliban are once again striking at the heart of the Pakistani state.

Although this week’s report on Pakistan touches down on the possibility of U.S. drone strikes alienating crucial tribal populations along the Durand line, the assassination of Pak Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud is without a doubt a boon for the Pakistani government’s fight against Islamic militancy.

The rise of militant Islam in Pakistan ranks among countless examples of short-term political gain sacrificing long-term stability.