Farewell. The Flying Pig Has Left The Building.

Steve Hynd, August 16, 2012

After four years on the Typepad site, eight years total blogging, Newshoggers is closing it's doors today. We've been coasting the last year or so, with many of us moving on to bigger projects (Hey, Eric!) or simply running out of blogging enthusiasm, and it's time to give the old flying pig a rest.

We've done okay over those eight years, although never being quite PC enough to gain wider acceptance from the partisan "party right or wrong" crowds. We like to think we moved political conversations a little, on the ever-present wish to rush to war with Iran, on the need for a real Left that isn't licking corporatist Dem boots every cycle, on America's foreign misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. We like to think we made a small difference while writing under that flying pig banner. We did pretty good for a bunch with no ties to big-party apparatuses or think tanks.

Those eight years of blogging will still exist. Because we're ending this typepad account, we've been archiving the typepad blog here. And the original blogger archive is still here. There will still be new content from the old 'hoggers crew too. Ron writes for The Moderate Voice, I post at The Agonist and Eric Martin's lucid foreign policy thoughts can be read at Democracy Arsenal.

I'd like to thank all our regular commenters, readers and the other bloggers who regularly linked to our posts over the years to agree or disagree. You all made writing for 'hoggers an amazingly fun and stimulating experience.

Thank you very much.

Note: This is an archive copy of Newshoggers. Most of the pictures are gone but the words are all here. There may be some occasional new content, John may do some posts and Ron will cross post some of his contributions to The Moderate Voice so check back.


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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Pakistan Closes NATO Supply Route

By Steve Hynd


Yesterday morning I wrote about how similiar current cross-border strikes into Pakistan were to raids in September 2008 that ended up with the Khyber Pass supply routes to NATO troops in Afghanistan being closed five times in as many months - and how those closures taught NATO a lesson about consequences for a while, at least.


Now, it appears that both Pakistani civilians and border guards have been killed by the recent round of attacks.



PESHAWAR: Nato choppers have yet another time encroached Pakistani airspace by launching fresh shelling in Kurrum Agency, Thursday morning, Geo News reported.

According to preliminary reports, at least three FC men lost their lives and as many sustained injuries in Nato-backed air strikes.


...It may be mentioned; Nato and ISAF copters killed nearly 6 civilians and over 11 were injured in an air strike occurred in Matah Sangarh area last week.

Government protested with Nato against encroaching Pakistani airspace following the killing of 30 civilians.



And now it's being reported that Pakistan has closed NATO's supply routes in retribution. I honestly didn't think they'd do it "formally", just let the local militants do it for them -- but there you have it.


Pity Petraeus didn't ask former commander in Afghanistan, General David McKiernan, if those raids were a good idea. Or maybe he should have read this from Kabul Press on the 12th September (h/t Bernhardt)



Taliban Could Defeat NATO in 30 Days - Logistics is the Achilles heel of Western forces


Taliban leader Mullah Omar�s announcement on September 8, 2010, that the Taliban was close to victory against NATO should not be dismissed. The Taliban have the military capacity to shut down the NATO supply links to Pakistan and other adjoining countries. NATO and American forces have such exorbitant daily supply needs that the Taliban could force some or potentially most Western forces to retreat from Afghanistan within 30 days.



But I'm sure Pakistan's General Kayani will now helpfully email him a copy.



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2 comments:

  1. Kevin RobbinsSeptember 29, 2010 at 11:51 PM

    That would be if they actually wanted us to withdraw.

    ReplyDelete
  2. emptySeptember 30, 2010 at 6:46 AM

    There is a view of the relationship between the US and Pakistani armies which is highly colonial - they are our subordinates with a wily oriental back-stabbing mentality. In fact, both armies are trying to serve their national interests. Looking at it from that point of view may make developments in that part of the world less complicated or should I say less inscrutable.

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