Vietnam – Cambodia
Iraq – Iran/Syria
Afghanistan – Pakistan
Echoes of “neutral” nations which give aid and comfort to our enemies abound. Insurgencies seldom succeed without donor nations close by. In Iraq the donors are Syria and Iran, whose aid makes the strength of the insurgency and opposing sectarian sides more effective.
In Afghanistan, it is Pakistan which allows the Taliban and Al Quada to rearm, recruit, and plan, safe in the knowledge that only occasional and inept Pakistani army raids pose a threat. Opinion on Musharraf is mixed. Is he playing both sides of the fence?
Today at MediaRight.ca the topic of du jour is Pakistan: CLICK
cross posted @ Celestial Junk
It is important to recognize not just where your interests lay but where the other "opponents" have interests.
For example, why is is Pakistan so interested in Afghanistan?
1) The need to have a secure Northen border because their Eastern border with India is not secure.
2) Fear that an unfriendly Afghanistan could be used by India to stir up trouble
3) Fear that an unfriendly Afghanistan could stri up a larger Pashtun nationalism. Remember the borders arent tribal borders but borders set by others
Is pakistan a straight up player, not totally but that is because they have complex interests. Nato needs to understand and accomodate the ones that make sense and get Nato what it wants and needs. As well, Nato needs to play against these to help the Pakistani's play ball. This can be a two way street....if Pakistan doesnt play ball then there should be no reason not to start playing footsie with India and encouraging the Pashtun.
But I believe Mussharef will do what he can, but he is a Pakistani nationalist first who happens to be friendly to the Americans and the West, not a Western marionette.
Help him help us.
Pakistan*s Musharrif has Al-Qaeda and Taliban knives at his throat.
How many political leaders have realatives under Jihadist mortal threat?
What are our chances of advancing freedom when ME leaders are forced to make decisions based on the mortal safety of their family members? = TG
Without a doubt Musharraf is a weasel. But, aren't they all in the ME. If you really think about it, capturing OBL on his turf, the media frenzy that would ensue with turning him over to the Americans in shackles, would be his worst nightmare. It might even do him in. I think it is one of the reasons that the US isn't leaning on him with all of its might to capture OBL in Pakistan. If Musharraf ever falls to a radical religious government, then, they have control of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. That's why we put up with his disingenuousness. The alternative is too awful.
We need to get people to stop thinking about the War as if it's
against countries, it's against Islamic fascism - it just happens to have
battles going on in countries - no different than the Battles of
D-day Dunkirk Normandy Juno Omaha Beech etc.
Sure some battles were better tactically than others – Sometimes with leadership in WWII there were times when Monty made more sense than Ike and vice versa. But that’s war – in the end, the determination to win is what counts.
The Middle East countries are lines in the sand, not real countries
nor was Yugoslavia as we can see now.
To say one battle (Afghan) is ok and another (Iraq) is not, is nuts.
I agree, Afgahn is really against forces in Pakistan too.
Iraq is also against Iran and Syrian forces.
This War is against tribalistic forms of government that would otherwise fail in a Darwinian way, like Africa, if not propped up by funds from oil and poppies.
But to say that you are only going to kill the termites in your basement and not in your attic is not a good strategy. But there’s no question that when you go after the termites they’ll get stirred up. Why does this surprise people?
In the end, the Afgans and the Iraqis will have to deal with their own termites, it's in our interest right now to help them with that because we'll be safer if they have a solid house to live in.
said it b4, now i will say it again...pakistan is just the conduit, they r not providing the weapons etc....IRAN...that who is financing the killing of our troops...until we bomb ahmadasshole and the ayatollahs out of business, expect it to continue
Kingstonlad,
We, the crass unwashed, agree that the Jihadists are thriving and multiplying on our series of pulled punches since before overlooking the 1983 bombing of 241 Marines in Lebanon.
I, being more crude than average, suggested months ago the precision bunker busting of Iran*s 24 - plus nuclear plants.
That would have pre-empted the recent Lebanon / Israel war and focussed conflict where it belongs... in IRAN.
Iran and Madmud who support Hezbollah who draw fire upon little people in Lebanon and peel off greenbacks to make them happy.
Iran and the clerics who support Muqtada al Sadr and his *Black bands* who dash about Basra and other Iraq areas in Toyota pickups, lopping off non-paying ransomed heads. [The Red Zone .. Steven Vincent].
The Pope had nothing to apologize for!
It*s obvious that the clerics have ordered uprisings on any and all of the slighest affronts.
How foolish we are to pull our punches while they continue to close in. = TG