March 2:
President Obama's commitment to increasing troops in Afghanistan is seen as necessary by some, but that view is not shared by Afghan citizens. According to the Christian Science Monitor, ordinary Afghans, particularly from the Pashtun ethnic group, are adamantly against an increased military presence by the U.S. and western forces, and government leaders are attempting to use parliamentary action to halt the arrival of new troops. One parliamentarian, Shukria Barakzai is quoted as saying, "Send us 30,000 scholars instead. Or 30,000 engineers. But don't send more troops - it will just bring more violence." Many Afghans, the Monitor reports, believe the answer lies not with an increased U.S. troop presence, but tighter borders and greater funds to train local security forces.
March 4:
U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is increasingly resembling that which turned the tide in Iraq, the Washington Journal reports. Both Afghan and U.S. officials are predicting the war in Afghanistan will be more violent in 2009, as opium trade revenues provide more support to the resurgent Taliban. In response, Gen. David Petraeus plans to use 17,000 additional troops to reduce violence by deploying the soldiers to rural outposts and ensuring troops live among Afghan citizens and provide them with security, similar to the "surge" strategy success in Iraq. The majority of the newly deployed soldiers will be stationed at outposts in the war torn regions in eastern and southern Afghanistan which border Pakistan.
As North Korea continues preparations for what it has termed a "peaceful" satellite launch, Japan is readying its missile defense forces. According to the London Times, if the DPRK launch poses any threat to Japan, Tokyo plans to use its nascent missile defense system - built in collaboration with the United States - to shoot down the ballistic missile. "If it [the North Korean rocket] is capable of reaching Japan then it goes without saying that we will react," Japanese Defense minister Yasukazu Hamada has said. "If it will affect Japan it will be our target."
March 6:
North Korea's looming missile test has been portrayed by observers as the act of a country starving for international attention. The truth of the matter, however, is that the country might just be starving. The DPRK, a country with sparse arable land and no access to modern fertilizers, needs to feed 23.5 million citizens and continuously falls short by one million tons of rice and cereal grain. This shortfall, moreover, is having major geopolitical consequences. The Washington Post reports that Seoul alteration of its usual plan to donate massive amounts of food and fertilizer to the North is one of the reasons Pyongyang has pushed ahead with its missile test. The food crisis in the DPRK is so severe it is reducing Kim Jong-il's iron grip on power, and sparking the emergence of new "gray" markets in the Stalinist state. North Korean citizens can no longer rely on government assistance for food and have erected private markets to make a living and afford to eat.
The effects of the food shortage are pervasive, and even the country's once-strong military is suffering. Pictures of emaciated DPRK troops have surfaced, while U.S. intelligence estimates detail that mental retardation and malnutrition alone will exclude a quarter of potential North Korean military candidates from service.
March 9:
The U.S. intends to increase bombing raids on insurgent forces seeking shelter in Pakistan's tribal region, even as it mulls dialogue with the Islamist movement. London's Telegraph reports that, despite controversy over ongoing Predator drone attacks, U.S. officials have signaled that they plan to escalate missile strikes ahead of any talks. President Obama has called for a smarter Pakistan policy that involves the consideration of talks with the Taliban. The approach has been backed by architect of the successful Iraq strategy, General David Petraeus, who has said that, "part of the success in Iraq involved reaching out to people that we consider to be Islamic fundamentalists." Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke and his staff will be guiding the effort to pursue the new "smarter policy" and any potential dialogue with the Taliban. One senior Western diplomat cautioned, "There will be talks but the Taliban are going to experience a lot of pain first, on both sides of the border."