Brookings hosted a discussion of 44's policy options for Afghanistan, drawing on experts with a diverse range of views. Brookings Senior Fellow Bruce Riedel, (chair of 44's review of Afghanistan and Land of the Pure policy in March 2009 - the world famous AFPAK!) mentioned those wild, wacking "Drones Gone Wild!" and shared an interesting concern.
Civilian casualities? Nope. Fear of losing hearts and minds by attacking out of the blue? Nope. In fact, no raison d'etre that Colonel Kilcullen recently pressed for were anywhere in the mix.
"I talked with a very senior Pakistani official last night -- and he said 'You have to understand, every single one of these drone attacks is a humiliation to the army of Pakistan'..."
This is simply amazing coming from an army whose scant 60 year history is down right embarrassing.
1st off -- Pakistan has started every war they've ever had. And they've lost every war they've ever had.
In fact, the only successes Pak Army can point to are military coups and the Taliban.
Last weekend’s dramatic attack on the army HQ in Rawalpindi, the Pentagon of Land of the Pure, underscores the volatility and fragility of politics in the world’s second largest mohammedist country.
And the nonstop hammer blows of terrorism - along with intell that rowdy hajis' are literally pouring into those famous, magical tribal no go zones - may prove that Taliban is determined to do a coup of their own in Land of the Pure
Taliban demonstrated that despite losing the campaign in the Swat Valley this summer, they retain the capacity for terror in the heart of Pakistan –
All these attacks -- would seem to be way more humiliating for PAK Army (no offense) than risible faux indignations about sovereignty or at least serve as a swift kick in the riding breeches. Certainly revives concern about the capacity of the Pakistani army to protect its nuclear arsenal.
If Taliban can get into army HQ, where would Taliban strike next? Wah Cantonment is a good guess -- to grab the fastest growing nuclear arsenal on the planet. Last time anyone checked - Land of the Pure was way more worried about Great Satan.
Of course, with a less than 50% literacy rate - the effects are pretty obvious as Paki Telly Newscaster Kamran Khan points out:
“Most Pakistanis are exposed to the popular media and to extremist clerics who provide this perception. The American side of the story is not available to the people.”
Too bad for them.
When Congress finally passed the Kerry-Lugar legislation this month to triple economic aid to Pakistan, the Pakistanis focused on the objectionable but hortatory language about past Pakistani sins (like the appease tease) rather than the fact Great Satan is fixing to bling $1.5 billion a year.
Pakistan seems to be kinda schizo paranoid even as she alledgedly girds her loins for yet another decisive drive to decisively defeat Taliban and actually extend the writ of state once and for all.
"Pakistan is right now in the midst of a brutal assault led by the U.S./Zionist energy-greedy, global imperialists. Aiding them in their enterprise are CIA, RAW (Indian Intel), Mossad, and MI6.
"They are targeting the complete destabilization of Pakistan, the destruction and dismantling of Pakistan's nuclear program, control of oil, gas, and mineral rich, strategically-located Baluchistan, and North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan.
"The Indians are in it for their old Bharatmata (Greater India) plan of making Pakistan their satellite state.
Hold up - if heresay about Great Satan is correct that by 2015 Land of the Pure will be a smoking crater of
"...a failed state, ripe with civil war, bloodshed, inter-provincial rivalries and a struggle for control of its nuclear weapons and its complete Talibanization."
Maybe Pakistan should be dissolved. Maybe, Great Satan should snatch up super powered nuclear booty.
Who could stop it?
Certainly not PAK army.
If the PAK Army is in serious danger of losing control of those nukes, what will India do? I suspect that arsenal would becaome a radioactive crater, glowing blue at night, unapproachable for the next ten thousand years.
ReplyDeleteThat is, by the way, fine with me. We've lost nothing in Pakistan and have no particular reason to go look.
I spent an interesting ten days over in Karachi PK as a crewmember onboard USS LaSalle while we were being used as pawns to spend money there while Clinton plied the Pakis to provide troops and materiel support in the invasion of Mogadishu.
ReplyDeleteI'm certain that would be denied but after screening message traffic I was right.