I have been blogging less frequently in the past two months, but you can catch me regularly on the John Batchelor Show, Saturdays at 9:30PM EST (770AM-NY, WABCradio.com, and XM , XM Radio Channel 158).

You can also follow me on Twitter.

Here’s an excerpt of my FP article:

“Afghanistan’s election crisis has temporarily abated, but Pakistan could soon face a volatile political transition of its own. President Asif Ali Zardari is under ever-increasing pressure to resign. His influence and power are dwindling and will likely continue to diminish in the coming months. By this spring, the Zardari presidency could meet its end….”

Click here to read more

“After eight years of US involvement in Afghanistan, a strategic crossroads within Asia, the country remains a deadly conflict zone. In fact, this weekend insurgents attacked two US military bases along the Pakistani border. Helping Afghanistan stand on its own – an imperative for both regional and Western states – is a task that will take decades. But it is increasingly clear that it is not one that the West can perform….

However, a precipitous Western withdrawal from Afghanistan would leave a major void in the state….

Afghanistan is factionalized, pockmarked by ethnic and tribal divisions. Its government’s sole success is an election rigged in its own favor. Warlords run much of the country. The national Army and police are years away from being able to secure the country on their own. Other state institutions lack the minimal human and financial resources to function without external crutches. US and Western troops should leave. But because Afghanistan will remain dependent on international aid for development and security, troops cannot leave without something to fill the vacancy.

The solution? Muslim and regional states must fill the void….”

On Saturday night, I appeared on the John Batchelor Show (WABC Radio, New York, 770AM) to discuss the status of the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan following the killing of Baitullah Mehsud.

Audio of the interview is available below:

Arif_Rafiq_JBShow_08_29_09.mp3

This morning, when I read Amir Mir’s report in The News, I realized some of the words were my own.

Wednesday morning (Pakistan time), I wrote these words in my post, eighteen hours before Amir Mir’s report in the Thursday edition of The News became available online and in print:

“…the attack was a hybrid operation consisting of an armed attack by four gunmen and a subsequent detonation of a car bomb…”

And Amir Mir in Thursday’s The News wrote:

“Those investigating the assault say the attack was a hybrid operation, consisting of an armed attack by four gunmen and subsequent detonation of a car bomb…”

The difference?  A mere comma.  Mir prefaced his plagiarism with: “Those investigating the assault…”

I am not among those investigating the assault.

I thought Amir Mir was a more respectable journalist than his brother, Hamid Mir.  Unfortunately, I was wrong; he doesn’t possess basic journalistic ethics.

Buddy, you can quote me next time you copy and paste stuff from my blog.  It’s not the end of the world, but plagiarism is a major sin in the journalism community.

One, my primary work (consulting) expressly deals with Pakistan nowadays.  The more serious the situation, the greater demand there is for my work.  Paid clients get priority over friends who view my writing for free.

Two, I am traveling. I hope to share some insights from on the ground in Pakistan with you soon.