Posted on 04/21/2015 6:06:26 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The Obama administrations decision this month to sell almost $1 billion in U.S.-made attack helicopters, missiles and other equipment to Pakistan will fuel conflict in South Asia without fulfilling the objective of helping the country fight Islamist extremists. Pakistans failure to tackle its jihadist challenge is not the result of a lack of arms but reflects an absence of will. Unless Pakistan changes its worldview, American weapons will end up being used to fight or menace India and perceived domestic enemies instead of being deployed against jihadists.
Competition with India remains the overriding consideration in Pakistans foreign and domestic policies. By aiding Pakistan over the yearssome $40 billion since 1950, according to the Congressional Research Servicethe U.S. has fed Pakistans delusion of being Indias regional military equal. Seeking security against a much larger neighbor is a rational objective but seeking parity with it on a constant basis is not.
nstead of selling more military equipment to Pakistan, U.S. officials should convince Pakistan that its ambitions of rivaling India are akin to Belgium trying to rival France or Germany. Indias population is six times as large as Pakistans while Indias economy is 10 times bigger, and Indias $2 trillion economy has managed consistent growth whereas Pakistans $245 billion economy has grown sporadically and is undermined by jihadist terrorism and domestic political chaos. Pakistan also continues to depend on Islamist ideologythrough its school curricula, propaganda and Islamic legislationto maintain internal nationalist cohesion, which inevitably encourages extremism and religious intolerance.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Context.
$5+ billion worth of stuff to Pakistan in the last 15 years, including 32 f-16s and 20 other Cobra attack helicopters before this batch.
(Congressional Research Service .pdf)
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/pakarms.pdf
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