Posted on 10/03/2006 2:51:53 PM PDT by Mobile Vulgus
It was a nice dream. That we would have Pakistan on our side as a stalwart ally in this war on terror was such a wonderful happenstance. It would have gone a long way toward proving that not all Muslim states want to be our enemy.
You have to give President Pervez Musharraf credit. Yes, he has done some iffy things as president by oppressing certain extremists. But he has lent the USA able assistance when he could since 9/11. And, in so doing, he has made himself a repeated target of assassins, one attempt killing 14 and wounding 46.
We must not stop being grateful for what Musharraf has done for us and we should not abandon him too quickly. But the fact is, he was always on the edge of being eliminated as an ally, and by his own people at that.
He has never fully controlled his military, for one thing. He quickly found that, after he led a bloodless coup against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government in 1999, he never had the unquestioning support of those military officers who supported the Kashmiri separatists. And, after 9/11 and Musharraf’s vocal and active support of the US, he found that Al Qaeda and Taleban supporters filled his ranks, as well.
Further, Pakistan’s Waziristan region was never really in Musharraf’s control and is teeming with terrorist training camps and Al Qaeda supporters despite Musharraf’s efforts to stop them.
Now, on the eve of president Musharraf’s visit to Washington came word that his government has formally retreated and ceded all control of the Waziristan region to terrorists and their supporters.
Musharraf is cloaking this weakness as a “treaty with tribal leaders”, but the calamity is unmistakable to the detriment of both Musharraf’s safety and ours.
(Excerpt) Read more at mensnewsdaily.com ...
As I understand it, Waziristan is the definition of isolated hell on earth.
My point is that Pakistan has nuclear weapons, so we have to keep in mind the adage that one dare not wound an enemy slightly. If we take action against Pakistan, we have to take their nukes and break their army and government -- or maybe help India to do it.
Good question. Has no good answer. We cannot occupy Pakistan,
so we have to work with whatever Govt is there or let it remain as is. We are doing the former.
A taliban safe haven though means we can never secure afghanistan, and AQ is never eliminated.
containment for the 21st century?
They aren't much of an ally now. OTOH, India is aware of the danger of Islam, and would make a far better partner for us.
Your link: The land is really actually, lovely. However, it doesn't look at all like the photos I've seen previously of the location. I'll have to do some digging.
I am sure the People's Republic of China might have something to say (or rather do) about your well meaning suggestions-like attacking whomever attacks Pakistan!!
You can gauge the intellectual dept of this article by looking at whom the writer describes as India's head of government.
The dept or rather the lack of it!!
My point is they threaten and blackmail with those weapons they strive to produce...ie Iran, and thiose weapons have no regard for surgical removal. Just massive loss of life.
With these new technologies when combined with their concept of right and wrong - which is on a totally different playing field - demonstrate how big a loss we are in for if we try to touch them with conventional weaponry.
or- giggle, giggle, in the case of Iran
diplomacy
So I guess that puts us both in the "nuke 'em to be sure" camp when the chips are down.
A lot of times, I don't read the articles posted, since they seldom give me information I don't already have. I am more interested in how folks at FR react to it. It tells me which way the wind is blowing.
China would not go to war over Pakistan. They have their own Muslim problems.
Though it might be a good diversion. Hmmmmmm.
Actually Pakistan has been very,very helpful in helping China dealing with it's Slammies in Xingjiang province-hence we don't hear about their problem in the same way as we hear about say,Russia.Or even the US.China has mobilised it's divisions on the Tibetan border with India everytime the India & Pakistan have been at threat of war or at war.
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