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| India-Pakistan |
| My enemy's enemy... |
| 2011-06-26 |
| [Dawn] According to a WikiLeak, a large number of senior officers at Pakistain's National Defence University are virulently anti-American. This was lent credence when Hussain Haqqani, our man in Washington, spoke at the NDU: when the officers attending the course were asked who they considered their major foe, apparently 30 per cent named the United States. I presume this number has gone up since the SEALs operation in Abbottabad last month that rid the world of the late Osama bin Laden. ... who is currently warming his feet by the fire with Hitler and Himmler... Indeed, any suspicion of supporting America's ongoing battle against jihadist forces in the region is met with immediate charges of being on CIA's payroll. And yet, returning to the theme of strategic clarity, how is this war not our war? Any commander with an iota of sense would accept help from any source in a battle for survival. And yet Pakistain constantly cavils at the alliance it's in by its own choice. If our military leadership genuinely feels it does not need American help, it should have refused all the cash and equipment it has been getting from Washington for years. After all, nobody is forcing it to accept the shiny new weapons systems that allow it to remain a credible fighting force. The Americans are replacing the Orion naval surveillance planes so carelessly frittered away recently; why don't we say no? The reality is that our defence forces desperately need constant infusions of dollars and advanced weapons from America. Pakistain simply cannot afford to pay for all the military hardware being acquired through our alliance with the United States. But in an effort to eat our cake and have it too, we bristle at the necessity of accepting this assistance, and bare our fangs to show that we are independent. But we can be independent and accept this help more graciously: all countries operate on the basis of their self-interest, and America is no different. Of course, it's helping us because Pakistain is strategically placed, and because there is a real danger that a meltdown here would have major regional and global repercussions. Instead of seeing to what extent our respective interests overlap, and cooperating on this basis, we are continuously conflicted in our dealings with the United States. From the Kerry-Lugar Act that nets Pakistain billions in aid to the wretched Raymond Davis affair, we insist on behaving like immature children who are resentful of adults trying to cure it of a life-threatening fever. And this fever is the extremism that is eating away at the country's foundations. Those complaining about perceived American arrogance and slights would do well to reflect on the reality of the real threat we face today. The other day, we learned of a nine-year old girl who was reportedly kidnapped, drugged and had a boom jacket tied on. By a stroke of luck, she beat feet and lived to tell the tale. This is the real enemy we face today. It's not America, and it's not India. In any calculus of threats, we have to prioritise, placing immediate dangers above remote ones. In this rational analysis, most reasonable people would conclude that the most urgent and real threat to Pakistain today comes from the jihadi groups of different stripes that have slaughtered thousands of Paks indiscriminately. Whenever the state has tried to negotiate with them, they have invariably broken their promises and used talks as tactical pauses. This is not a fight we have picked, but one that has been thrust upon us. To defeat this enemy, we need not only military force, but political unity and public support. Clearly, as long as there is confusion within the country and its institutions, no headway can be made. And so it has proved: in the last decade, things have got worse, not better. And to add to our woes, we have decided to do our best to alienate the US. Already, voices are being raised in Washington, questioning aid to a country that is increasingly viewed as hostile and duplicitous. A trite but true cliché of international relations is 'my enemy's enemy is my friend'. Thus, it makes eminent sense to cooperate with America in the common battle against extremism. We don't have to share its values, just as we don't share many of China's. But while we cherish our alliance with China, we forget that Beijing, too, bases its relations with Pakistain on the basis of its hostility to India. It's all about being an enemy's enemy at the end of the day. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 My enemy's enemy is my enemy's enemy, no more, no less. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-06-26 17:25 |
| #4 #2 that was a fine run you had there. Being just an average sort I can only say it was "insanely good" or its time for the Meds. If it's the Meds I'll join you. |
| Posted by: Dale 2011-06-26 15:40 |
| #3 Whoa! Awesome, insanely good. |
| Posted by: S 2011-06-26 10:24 |
| #2 Ah, yes, Pakistan the Captain Queeg of Central Asia: Queeg: Now there's no need for that I know exactly what hell tell you. Lies! He was no different than any officer in the wardroom -- they were all disloyal, I tried to run the ship properly by the book but they fought me at every turn. If the crew wanted to walk around with their shirttails hanging out that's all right let them take the tow line. Defective equipment no more no less, but they encouraged the crew to go around scoffing at me and spreading wild rumors about steaming and circles. And then old yellow stain. I was to blame for Lt. Merrick's incompetence and poor seamanship. Lt. Merrick was the perfect officer but not Captain Queeg. Ah, but the strawberries! That's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes, but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt, and with geometric logic, that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox did exist! And I'd have produced that key if they hadn't pulled Caine out of action! I-I-I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officer and!......(realizes he has been ranting, babbling) Naturally, I can only cover these things from memory if I've left anything out, why, just ask me specific questions and I'll be glad to answer them...one-by-one... |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-06-26 09:01 |
| #1 Pakistans only true friend is Saudi Arabia.Even Iran does not trust Pakistan! What does it say when all their neighbours dont like/trust them? |
| Posted by: Paul D 2011-06-26 07:41 |