The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Karachi airport yesterday. The sophistication of the attack, as well as the sensitivity of the target, revealed a strength of the TTP that many analysts had failed to realize. It is difficult to imagine how the fragile Pakistani government can withstand such direct challenges to its power and authority without losing more of its legitimacy to the Pakistani polity. Pakistan is likely to go through a very difficult period in the immediate future, and it is not at all obvious how the government can regain the trust of its people.
There is a very controversial advertisement campaign being waged in the Boston subways. Supported by an organization called Ads Against Apartheid, the ads sharply criticize Israeli policies toward Palestinians. Such ads would have been inconceivable several years ago, and they suggest that there may be a shift in attitudes in the US toward Israeli policies in the Occupied Territories. As is usually the case with ad campaigns, it is hard to measure the actual effect on attitudes. Nonetheless, there are likely discussions going on in Boston that are different from those in the past.
The World Cup begins in four days in Brazil, and a metro strike and general unrest have roiled the country in anticipation. Many Brazilians are upset by the $11 billion spent on the tournament, believing that the money could have been better spent on some of the social and economic problems in the country. About 500,000 people from abroad are expected to attend the games, and security in the country has made likfe for many much more difficult.
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