The end of the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan has helped foster strategic cooperation between Pakistan and Iran. Following a recent visit to Pakistan by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, the nations have signaled interest in expanding political, economic and strategic cooperation.
As the campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan continues to make gains, political leaders in the global alliance against terrorism are pondering ancillary issues, including the containment of weapons of mass destruction and the unraveling of international terrorist networks.
Moving to bolster its influence over Afghanistan's reconstruction, Pakistan has withdrawn its recognition of the Taliban as representatives of the official government of Afghanistan. Some Pakistani experts view the move as a good-will gesture towards the Northern Alliance, which now controls Kabul.
On his first foreign trip since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Pakistani leader Gen. Pervez Musharraf is securing pledges of Western economic support that are designed to help his government ease the country's crushing debt, and address poverty-related issues.
General Musharraf retains significant control over his government, and has benefited from a flurry of high level diplomacy backed by removal of sanctions and stepped up international aid packages.
For three years, Azerbaijan has lured Western energy firms to commit to shares in a pipeline from its seacoast capital, Baku, through the Georgian capital of Tbilisi into the Turkish port of Ceyhan. [For background see the EurasiaNet Business archives]. The pipeline has aroused skeptical responses from Western energy experts.
The Taliban has plans to employ "suicide units" against the US-led anti-terrorism coalition, an Afghan source tells EurasiaNet. At least 100 Afghan and Arab fighters have received specialized training and are prepared to launch suicide strikes to counter an expected ground offensive against the Taliban, the source says.
Over the last six days, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, met with a broad range of anti-Taliban Afghan commanders, non-governmental organization representatives and Afghan women's group leaders, working to build support for a new broad-based government in Afghanistan.
