US proposes G-20 membership for Pakistan
From the Blog stapins - US proposes G-20 membership for Pakistan November 14th, 2010 Image by Beverly & Pack via Flickr WASHINGTON : The United States should seek Pakistan 's membership or at least observer status in major international forums, such as the Group of Twenty, a US task force recommended on Friday. The panel – led by Richard Armitage and Samuel Berger, top aides to former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton – notes that Pakistan's presence in such groups would enable it "to connect with new power structures and familiarise it with emerging norms”. In a report released on Friday, the task force, which enjoys support of the administration, endorses the Obama administration's effort to cultivate cooperation with Pakistan as the best way to "secure vital US interests in the short, medium, and long run". It recommends that this approach should include significant investments in Pakistan's own stability, particularly after this summer's floods. Washington ( CNN ) — The United States should consider drastically cutting the number of troops in Afghanistan unless the current strategy starts to show signs of progress, a new report says. The 98-page independent task force report, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, also says the United States should invest in a long-term partnership with Pakistan, but only if Pakistan takes action against all terrorist organizations. The report encompasses analysis and recommendations on U.S. policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan from a 25-member bipartisan task force composed of high-profile military and national security experts. It was chaired by former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and former National Security Adviser Samuel “Sandy” Berger. The group “conditionally” endorses the current U.S. policy in Afghanistan, including plans for a conditions-based military drawdown in July 2011, but warns that America “cannot afford to continue down this costly path” without the potential for lasting progress. At a news conference Friday discussing the report, Armitage, who served as deputy secretary of state under President George W. Bush , was critical of his former boss. “After acknowledging that President Obama got a bad lie from the Bush administration regarding Afghanistan, we do salute his attempt at the surge to rectify the situation,” Armitage said. But Armitage emphasized that Obama needs to have a “very deep, clear-eyed review of the situation,” and that if “real progress is not deemed to have been made, a majority of us suggest that we change the mission to a much different mission, one of counterterror and continued training of the Afghan National Security Forces .” Regarding Pakistan, Armitage said the government there needs to do a better job pursuing and disabling Pakistan-based terror groups such as the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba , in the same way that it worries about the Pakistani Taliban. “If we can’t be successful in either jaw-boning, pressuring, or ‘sticks-and-carroting’ them into this (fighting the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba), then in the long run we are dealing with a very dangerous situation,” he warned. The independent report, titled “U.S. Strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan,” precedes the Obama administration’s planned review of U.S. policy in Afghanistan, due in December. The task force panel asks whether the “cloudy picture and high costs” should push the United States to “downsize its ambitions and reduce its military presence in Afghanistan.” “After nine years of U.S. war in the region, time and patience are understandably short,” the report reads, acknowledging America’s huge budget deficits and sluggish economic recovery. The task force recommendations for Afghanistan include, among others, shifting a greater burden of that country’s security to Afghan forces, and encouraging political reform, national reconciliation, and regional diplomacy. Regarding Pakistan, the panel recommends that the United States maintain existing levels of economic and technical assistance for reconstruction efforts after that country’s devastating summer floods, and expanding training and equipment for police, paramilitaries, and the Pakistani army. CNN. Draw down U.S. troops if Afghanistan progress lags, panel recommends By Laurie Ure, CNN November 12, 2010 5:06 p.m. EST Related articles Liberal CFR: If Afghan Strategy is Working, Drawdown, If Not, Drawdown (waronterrornews.typepad.com) Report cautions Obama on high cost of Afghan war (reuters.com) Draw down U.S. troops if Afghanistan progress lags, panel recommends (cnn.com) Strategic Thinking and Policy Institute
CloudBerry Backup for Windows Home Server code name Vail is coming
From the Blog CloudberryLabProductBlog - CloudBerry Backup for Windows Home Server code name Vail is coming November 14th, 2010 We are excited to announce that we are working on CloudBerry Backup add-in for Windows Home Server code name Vail . Here is a screenshot of what we are doing. We are also going to make an add-in for the next version of Windows Small Business Server code name Aurora which is based on the same WHS technology. All existing customers will be able to upgrade their existing add-ins for free. CloudBerry Lab Product blog
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From the Blog maryamreza - SC. November 14th, 2010 S: I like your pout. M: Aw <3. You da man, S! S: You the babe! *pouts* Yes, we all know how much of a narcissist I am. S is my very special friend in India. Shez da man, yow. The weird part is, S says she really likes my scarf/dupatta. And my friends/family/teachers HERE ask me to take it off all the time. Ironic? I don’t know what it is but it really weirds me out. No, this is not an invitation to start a religious debate. Just a comment. Here I Am.
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