Christine Fair

As the U.S. prepares to leave Afghanistan, the American relationship with Pakistan hangs in the balance. Christine Fair, a professor at Georgetown University, examines how the region ...

Secretary of State John Kerry explained in an interview with Pakistani television that the U.S. could end drone strikes in the country in the near future. But there are those who clai...

When Sally Ride took off for the stars in 1983, everyone thought we were entering the Age of the Female Scientist, but 25 years after her first mission women comprised only 20 percent...

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the release of the April jobs report on Friday will provide an important picture of ...

Pakistan was once the U.S.’s principal ally in the Afghanistan war. But tensions between the two countries have grown since the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad las...

Information continues to trickle out about the American Army Staff Sergeant who allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians over the weekend. Who is he?  What were his motives? For some, the killings have prompted very different questions about the longest war in American history. Perhaps most importantly, how much longer should America be engaged in the region at all?

Jalaluddin Haqqani has called his militant outfit the most deadly insurgent group in Afghanistan, and a recent New York Times article called the Haqqani network a "ruthless crime family." Many top American officials are convinced that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence has been working with the militant outfit. Their latest attacks include a strike on the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a helicopter crash on Saturday, which killed 30 American troops in the deadliest day ever for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The attack took place in the Tangi Valley of Wardak Province, to the west of Kabul, and illustrates how the insurgency is growing from its traditional strongholds and edging toward the capital city.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's half-brother and head of Afghanistan's Kandahar provincial council, was killed early Tuesday morning at his home. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the assassination, though their claims remain unconfirmed. Karzai was a powerful figure in Kandahar and his death may result in an unpredictable struggle for power, impacting U.S. goals in the region.

The Hotel Interncontinental in Kabul, Afghanistan was attacked by gunmen and suicide bombers yesterday. Gun fire was exchanged between the terrorists and police force for many hours, and ended with NATO helicopters shooting and killing three militants on the hotel's roof. The identity of the terrorists has not been confirmed yet, but many believe the Taliban are responsible.

Over the weekend, Afghan president Hamid Karzai lashed out at coalition forces on state television, suggesting NATO was in his country for "their own purposes." U.S. officials fired back, suggesting that such statements may hasten a withdrawal of troops despite continuing challenges to Afghanistan's government. This rhetorical tit-for-tat illustrates a larger argument that grows even more heated as taste for the war across the country and in Washington lessens. Is it time to get out completely? And if so, how? 

Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) has received heavy scrutiny from the United States, after a raid by U.S. special forces on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, lead to the killing of Osama bin Laden. Information gathered from the raid suggests bin Laden had been living in that compound for close to six years. Many question the circumstances of the most wanted man in the world had been living safely within Pakistan's borders, in a $1 million compound, for that long without anyone in the ISI knowing. However, with U.S.-Pakistan relations at stake, it is necessary to pay close attention to evidence and not jump to conclusions, says Christine Fair.

How will the world react to the death of Bin Laden? Or perhaps more significantly, how will the world of terrorism react? We speak with Lydia Khalil, former counterterrorism analyst with the NYPD, as well as Christine Fair, assistant professor at the Center for Peace and Security, to learn more. 

It's been several weeks since the CIA operative Raymond Davis was released from custody in Pakistan for reportedly killing two armed men in a traffic incident in Lahore, Pakistan. Since his release, relations between the US and Pakistan have been strained. The tensions have grown not only over the questions relating to the diplomatic immunity of Raymond Davis and his 47 days of detention, but also over a US drone attack that killed tribal leaders last month. Now Pakistan is demanding that the United States sharply reduce the number of CIA and Special Ops forces working in the country, and put drone strikes on hold.

The U.S. media disregarded the March 21st Quran burning at Terry Jones' Florida church. However, on March 24th, Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai released a press statement calling for the pastor to come to justice. This statement set off a wave of violent protests in Afghanistan, which have killed dozens of people. Christine Fair, assistant professor at Georgetown's Center for Peace and Security Studies contextualizes Karzai's actions and the resulting violence. 

CIA contractor Raymond Davis has been freed from a Pakistani prison and his murder case has been dropped. He was indicted on two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of two Pakistani men that, he says, were trying to kill him. Pakistani officials say Davis was pardoned by the families of the victims in exchange for compensation. Christine Fair, assistant professor at Georgetown's Center for Peace and Security Studies. She believes that the families were urged by Pakistan's secret security forces, ISI to accept the money. How will this latest development affect U.S.- Pakistan relations?

Pakistan's second largest political party has abandoned Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's coalition to join the opposition, depriving the government of its majority and weakening a key United States ally. How does this defection affect Pakistan, and the two nations' work in Afghanistan and against the Taliban? We're joined for more on the story by Aleem Maqbool, Pakistan correspondent for our partner the BBC. 

For months, secret talks between Taliban and Afghan leaders have been inching along towards an agreement to end the war in Afghanistan. They've been helped by senior Taliban commander Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour. But it turns out he was an impostor. We're joined by Professor Christine Fair, from the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University, to learn more about the story. 

In Afghanistan, our partners the BBC have gained rare access to an American prison for Taliban fighters. The BBC's Paul Wood spent time at the Parwan facility and explains how efforts are being made to ready Taliban members to re-enter society by teaching them useful skills, including bread making. 

Afghan voters went to the polls this weekend to cast their ballot in parliamentary elections. More than 2,500 candidates ran for 249 seats. According to reports from Afghanistan, many candidates tried to buy the election by paying voters for their ballots and busing crowds of people into polling stations. Meanwhile, election day quickly turned violent in some locations, with dozens of rocket attacks and violence at polling stations. The New York Times reported that more than 12 people were killed in election-related violence. Due to security concerns, some polling stations remained closed or had very little voter turnout.