Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeWaters
If we put the screws on M. I am guessing that would make India happy.
I think it's ironic that we ended up on the side of a totalitarian regime in an Islamic country, rather than the side of a democratic state that is primarily non-Muslim with close economic ties and a lot more people.
It would be nice if one day we could be honest and really admit that Pakistan as presently constituted is not on our side. But instead we pretend that they are and give them billions.
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Our "friends with Pakistan/not so much friends with India" policy was very much an outgrowth of the Cold War. Yes, it was very ironic, but practicality won the day. Things have changed significantly since the fall of the SU.
Not an expert on Pakistan, although I've been there once (a real testimony to the survivability of the human race in the face of filth; we can be a pretty hardy bunch). I suspect most Pakistanis are on our side, if that means preventing the expansion of OSB/Taliban influence in South Asia. It appears that M has very limited ability to influence activities in the region where OBL is hiding. Efforts to do so have been met with stiff resistance. What would you have him do?
It's sad that it's not a neat little package out there (Pak is our ally, Pak controls own territory, Pak walks up and arrests OBL), so we have to play the hand that was dealt us. In the absence of very many better options, standing behind M, who has actually done a lot within his power to support our CT efforts, may be the best option at this point.