As the contest for a successor to Baitullah Mehsud, the maverick warlord from South Waziristan who was reportedly killed by a drone strike in early August, remains surrounded by controversy and mystery, one of the major questions rearing its head is whether the successor will be able to galvanize fighters the way the amir did and continue his lethal campaign against the state of Pakistan with the same vigor.
A careful analysis of the on-ground conditions tells us no to both questions.
Baitullah Mehsud rose to international prominence in a unique context that helped catapult him into the role of undisputed "leader of the rogues," a magnet that pulled commanders from all over the tribal territory and unified them in December 2007, when Mehsud formally launched his Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
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