[Jim Noble]

There was another option available after 9/11-to form a political and military alliance with India to crush Pakistan.

This path was not taken. The current policy, to make Pakistan an "ally", has much lower entry costs, which is likely why it was chosen.

However, the cost of maintaining the fiction that Pakistan is "friendly" rises sharply in later years, as our enemies there learn to game the system, which is what we see here.

[razoroccam]

Very well said.