Posted on 09/20/2004 7:36:28 PM PDT by yonif
The United States could lose its war on terrorism unless it deals with the poverty and political disputes that give rise to militant extremism, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview on Monday.
"We are only involved at the moment in fighting terrorism frontally, the military perspective, the immediate response. But we are not addressing the root causes," Musharraf said in the interview on ABC News.
"I always say the root cause is political disputes, poverty and illiteracy," Musharraf said, adding that he does not think those issues are being addressed.
"I hope they are, otherwise we are not going to succeed. We may be winning battles, but we lose the war," he said.
Poor and illiterate people who feel aggrieved because of political disputes are easy targets for indoctrination by militant groups, said Musharraf, who has played a pivotal role in the U.S.-led war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Musharraf named the Palestinian issue as the principal political dispute that must be addressed because he said it had "the maximum negative perspective" throughout the Muslim world.
"There is unanimous sympathy for the Palestinians against the Israelis. And the United States is seen or perceived as an Israeli supporter and totally against Muslims," Musharraf said. "So I think this is the one which needs to be resolved immediately."
On the subject of his country's role in the ongoing hunt for al Qaeda militants and remnants of Afghanistan's toppled Taliban leadership, Musharraf described the Pakistani campaign as a success.
"We have operated in south Pakistan, we have busted their sanctuaries from three valleys, so we are very successful. However, there may be more elsewhere," he said, adding that the military operation continues.
Pakistani troops are engaged in an offensive in tribal regions just across the border from the southern Afghan provinces where U.S. troops are hunting al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his followers.
The Pakistan leader said he had no idea where bin Laden was hiding.
Musharraf spoke in New York where he will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush on the fringes of this week's U.N. General Assembly.
Bin Laden's "Letter to the American people."
Yes, it starts with "You attacked us in Palestine, blah, blah, blah." But read on. He asks himself:
What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?and proceeds to answer:
The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam.Then he explains what he hates about America. For example:
You are the nation who, rather than ruling by the Shariah of Allah in its Constitution and Laws, choose to invent your own laws as you will and desire. You separate religion from your policies, contradicting the pure nature which affirms Absolute Authority to the Lord and your Creator.I guess Bush wasn't kidding when he said that they hate us for our democracy and freedoms.
What else he doesn't like about us? We permit homosexuality, drugs, and gambling. We hold people in Guatanamo, exploit women "like consumer products," and refuse to sign Kyoto agreement (sometimes he sounds just like a Democrat.) We also bombed Hiroshima and brought AIDS to Africa. And how about this gem?
Who can forget your President Clinton's immoral acts committed in the official Oval office? After that you did not even bring him to account, other than that he 'made a mistake', after which everything passed with no punishment. Is there a worse kind of event for which your name will go down in history and remembered by nations?There you go. Blame Clinton!
powers lining up.
israel, india, usa, the anglo nations, plus 'new' europe, and pacific rimmers:
vs.
third worlders, china, france, germany, russia (maybe) and all the arab/musli nations of the world.
billions of souls in the balance.
Sometimes Bush is so bad at picking allies that you gotta wonder if someone can do better. Kerry sure can't, but good lord. I mean, gawd.. Can Bush ben any dumber than he is with picking mush as a reliable partner? It's almost inconceivably stupid.
Money is NEVER the problem. We could take all the money in the U.S. and throw it at these people. Nothing would change. They would still be slaughtering and acting like pigs.
Actually picking Musharraf and Pakistan as an ally was a brilliant move by Bush.
Before this, Pakistan was a friend of the Taliban and one of the few countries in the world that recognised the Taliban regime.
Pakistan's help in the war in Afghanistan was invaluable in defeating the Taliban there.
Musharraf has helped us hunt down Al-Qaeda and capture Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the operational planner behind the September 11 attacks.
These accomplishments are not insignificant.
Exactly, the Madrassas would be an excellent start at eliminating root causes.
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