Al Qaeda Pakistan

Today's New York Times leads with a report that Al Qaeda is strengthening their organization in Pakistan. With US resources heavily invested in Iraq, ...

The announcement of a cease-fire just a few weeks into a determined military operation against one of Pakistan's most wanted men, the militant leader ...

Bhutto's stand against the religious extremists made her the only hope for more than one third of the electorate who strongly opposes Musharraf's policies, army rule and religious extremism.

When I first knew Benazir Bhutto, it was not as the larger than life 'Antigone' tragic figure she became but rather as a fellow undergraduate at Harvard College.

Pakistan's internal instability is not only unfavorable to the country, but also critical to the neighboring country Afghanistan. One of the direct effects of Pakistan's internal instability will be sensed in Afghanistan.

With her murder Musharraf has had his chief rival removed and he can resume his authoritarian rule with the Americans off his back. Musharraf has played America brilliantly.

The day after 9/11, Bhutto told me already then she had received intelligence that she was the "next target" of Al Qaeda after they had assassinated the Afghan resistance leader of the Northern Alliance.

As her father's daughter, Bhutto couldn't obey the ineluctable logic of the new Pakistan: wouldn't stay inside, wouldn't shun the people, wouldn't go back into exile after the first attack.

We don't want to hear a word from the Clinton camp about her alleged experience of which she has very little, or from Obama about fresh ideas until he has some.

Bhutto's horrible demise sets up an audition of sorts for commander in chief as contenders compete for the most presidential on-camera reaction.

Bhutto's assassination ought to be a call to consider a leader who has clear view of the world and its unpredictability.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto ought to be the death knell for the Bush-Cheney policy of smothering the military regime in Pakistan with rewards in the hope that they will do something nice.

It's almost always painfully true that far too many government higher-ups will go to any lengths to discredit their political opponents or the radical critics of their policies when they are seen to pose a direct threat.

There is no shortage of analysis about the national security implications of Bhutto's death, but I want to write about the young woman I met in England before she became a player on the world stage.

Musharraf and the other generals will tell Washington that there are two options: military rule or Islamic fundamentalists taking hold of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal.

The first serious American politician to propose a radical realignment of U.S. policy toward Pakistan was Obama. He was pounced on by the punditry, his statements taken as further evidence he is a foreign policy lightweight.

Let's give credit where it is due. Biden has been light years ahead of all candidates in both parties, has warned about Pakistan for years and was the only candidate to seriously raise the issue in the debates.

With an unstable military ruler, enough material for 50 to 100 nuclear bombs, and armed, Islamic fundamentalist groups, Pakistan is the most dangerous country on earth.

Just before she returned to Pakistan, I met Bhutto in Washington and raised with her the issue of her personal safety. I suggested that she acquire Dragon Skin, a new type of body armor. She promised to look into it.

For the U.S., the highest priority is whether Pakistan's nuclear weapons will remain under tight lock and key should the country descend into further chaos.

Arianna Huffington invited me to a dinner with Ms. Bhutto in 1998, early in the latter's period of exile. I can't remember who else was there, because all I do remember was Benazir Bhutto.

Her killing is a huge blow to the anti-extremist movement in Pakistan. Frankly, as it stands now, there are no other anti-extremist democratic leaders in Pakistan.