At least 60 people were killed and more than 170 were injured Dec. 6 in three militant attacks on gatherings in observance of the Shiite mourning period of Ashura.

Tactical Analyst Ben West discusses the characteristics and significance of the Dec. 6 attacks in Afghanistan.

TRANSCRIPT:

Twenty-four Pakistani servicemen at a border outpost were killed in a U.S. airstrike on Nov. 26.

Islamabad closed supply lines into Afghanistan after U.S. attack helicopters killed 24 Pakistani soldiers Nov. 26, echoing an October 2010 closure.

Global unease and instability, particularly in Europe, are hurting financial markets, distracting governments and undermining confidence. Rodger Baker, reflecting STRATFOR’s latest forecasts, discusses what is ahead in the main theaters of concern.

Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Rodger Baker explains how increasing Indian involvement in the South China Sea is a maneuver to outflank China, which is becoming involved in the Indian Ocean.

Director of Analysis Reva Bhalla explains the melding interests of the Pakistan-Taliban-Haqqani triad as the United States attempts to negotiate its way out of the war in Afghanistan.

The past week's attacks by the Taliban on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul may not yet have had a psychological impact on the United States, but it does cast doubt on the Obama administration's claims of progress in the war. STRATFOR CEO Dr. George Friedman suggests the well-planned strike was aimed at improving the Taliban's negotiating position.

Vice President of Tactical Intelligence Scott Stewart examines the Taliban attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul from a tactical perspective.
Editor’s Note: Transcripts are generated using speech-recognition technology. Therefore, STRATFOR cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.

Analyst Kamran Bokhari explains how the continuing violence in Karachi aggravates matters for a weakened Pakistan and its implications for NATO's efforts to withdraw from Afghanistan.