The Application of Bite. How Much?
Recently I talked about a blog by Bill Roggio regarding the precarious position Pervez Musharraf finds himself in. Obviously, he wants to keep on our (i.e. the West in general and USA in particular) good side so we do not become more sympathetic to India in the various conflicts they have with India. Also, of course he wants to keep all economic & military aid flowing. So right now these are the pros as far as Pervez probably sees them.
Of course there are cons. There have been multiple attempts on Pervez's life by Islamic militant groups in Pakistan. These groups are upset by Pervez aligning Pakistan with the West against Al-Qaida in particular and Islamic fascism in general. All leaders need to consider the desires of the populations they lead. In the case of the many conflicts with India the general population of Pakistan is generally with the Islamo-Fascists. Never forget too that Pakistan's intelligence service was and probably still is a huge patron of Osama Bin Laden.
So the question before we get to the question of how much bite is Pervez Musharraf's Pakistan a good ally or not? I answer it is a good ally. Why? Because few other nations have been so helpful as Pakistan in achieving our GWOT aims. If Pervez is assassinated or otherwise done away with as Pakistan's leader than it is likely the new leadership will be hostile to the efforts of the West. This hostile nation has nuclear capability remember.
I think we are in a good situation with Pakistan. If Pakistan gets too out of line we can simply remind them India is a good ally and would probably love it if we cut off assistance to Pakistan and transferred it India's way. I don't think we need to really press down on Pakistan anymore than we are at the moment. Clearly it is not going to help us if Pervez Musharaff is assassinated or replaced and would be a substantial setback.
OBL is probably in Pakistan in the lawless regions bordering Afghanistan. The most that can be hoped for is he is kept on a very short leash pending his capture or death.
Tough talk is fine and there is a time and place for it, but this is not a time for it. Pervez has done quite a bit for us.
Of course there are cons. There have been multiple attempts on Pervez's life by Islamic militant groups in Pakistan. These groups are upset by Pervez aligning Pakistan with the West against Al-Qaida in particular and Islamic fascism in general. All leaders need to consider the desires of the populations they lead. In the case of the many conflicts with India the general population of Pakistan is generally with the Islamo-Fascists. Never forget too that Pakistan's intelligence service was and probably still is a huge patron of Osama Bin Laden.
So the question before we get to the question of how much bite is Pervez Musharraf's Pakistan a good ally or not? I answer it is a good ally. Why? Because few other nations have been so helpful as Pakistan in achieving our GWOT aims. If Pervez is assassinated or otherwise done away with as Pakistan's leader than it is likely the new leadership will be hostile to the efforts of the West. This hostile nation has nuclear capability remember.
I think we are in a good situation with Pakistan. If Pakistan gets too out of line we can simply remind them India is a good ally and would probably love it if we cut off assistance to Pakistan and transferred it India's way. I don't think we need to really press down on Pakistan anymore than we are at the moment. Clearly it is not going to help us if Pervez Musharaff is assassinated or replaced and would be a substantial setback.
OBL is probably in Pakistan in the lawless regions bordering Afghanistan. The most that can be hoped for is he is kept on a very short leash pending his capture or death.
Tough talk is fine and there is a time and place for it, but this is not a time for it. Pervez has done quite a bit for us.
posted by Marcus Aurelius at 4:49 PM
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