In 2001 the Bush Administration rightly increased military aid to Pakistan to fight terrorism. This was a good move by the Bush administration (one of very few) and should be applauded. However, the question is clearly begged; where did the money and resources go? Clearly the money did not go to fight terrorism. Recently, the United States has also provided the Pakistani’s with drones so that they can broaden their fight from the cities into the tribal and mountainous regions of the country. However, we are still seeing an increase in violence. We MUST keep a better eye on where the money we provide Pakistan is going we simply cannot afford the waste that corrupt governments produce at our expense. If the money is not going to the proper place then lets provide them with actual goods. Of course we cannot control every penny and there will be losses but the investment we have placed in Pakistan in not generating a return!
Quite frankly, the Pakistani government is not doing enough to expand their fight, and as the New York Times article points out, the Obama administration is pushing the Pakistani’s to broaden their fight against terror and push it into the mountainous regions even more.
This is a good move on the part of the Obama administration. As violence is increasing in Pakistan the citizens of the country feel less secure and thus the goal of the terrorists is met. We must remember that terrorism is not so much about control of territory so much as it is control of people by instilling fear into the public. This control plunders economies and sets the stage for governmental change, which is exactly what the Taliban and Al Qaeda want.
What the Obama administration needs to do is continue to use our diplomatic prowess to ramp up the pressure on Pakistan. The Pakistani government must succeed in defeating the terrorists in their country just as we must continue to defeat the terrorist threat in Afghanistan. More to come on foreign policy in the days to come! I look forward to your thoughts on the Pakistani situation.
2 comments:
The problem is, the Pakistani government and much if not most of the populace loyal to the government seems to fear India (when two nations fight that many wars in a century, this will likely happen) far more than the border regions with Afghanistan. So much of their military budget goes to vamping up the conventional army facing Kashmir. Almost any major expedition against the Taliban is going to be a sideshow, unless the insurgents overrun a major city or threaten an element of the nuclear arsenal. I'd think their best bet would be to try and raise loyalist militias or paramilitaries from the areas directly threatened by the insurgency.
Very interesting comment and I agree with you that a strategy based on your ideas would be wise for the Pakistani government!
Post a Comment