RE: Our allies in Pakistan

Collarspace Discussion Forums

Home Login Search

RE: Our allies in Pakistan

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Dungeon of Political and Religious Discussion >> RE: Our allies in Pakistan

Page: << < prev 1 [2]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

RE: Our allies in Pakistan - 6/16/2011 9:17:27 PM

Hillwilliam

Posts: 19394
Joined: 8/27/2008
Status: offline

Which is why we need to cut their ass off.

_____________________________

Kinkier than a cheap garden hose.

Whoever said "Religion is the opiate of the masses" never heard Right Wing talk radio.

Don't blame me, I voted for Gary Johnson.

(in reply to Marini)

Profile

Post #: 21

RE: Our allies in Pakistan - 6/16/2011 10:21:35 PM

Owner59

Posts: 17033
Joined: 3/14/2006
From: Dirty Jersey
Status: offline

There are two factions really,maybe more.

One is more pro western and moderate,middle of the road and the other leans toward the Islam-fundie pissed off crowd.

We should think of them as frenemies.

We have factions here too.One more moderate,liberal and one that appeals to the pissy Christo-fundie crowd.So it`s not hard to imagine that dynamic there too.

_____________________________

"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals"

President Obama

(in reply to Hillwilliam)

Profile

Post #: 22

RE: Our allies in Pakistan - 6/17/2011 2:11:57 AM

Aneirin

Posts: 6121
Joined: 3/18/2006
From: Tamaris
Status: offline

Again, one reaps what they sow the bribes over all those years have yielded nothing, but a country that it is known dislikes Western power and societies. and perhaps wages secret wars or allows those who are doing so safe haven in their country. Perhaps all the bribes have created a terrorist state.

_____________________________

Everything we are is the result of what we have thought, the mind is everything, what we think, we become - Guatama Buddha

Conservatism is distrust of people tempered by fear - William Gladstone

(in reply to Owner59)

Profile

Post #: 23

RE: Our allies in Pakistan - 6/17/2011 4:28:21 AM

Moonhead

Posts: 16520
Joined: 9/21/2009
Status: offline

It's a bit more complicated than that, Aneirin.
Assuming that the Pakistani government is capable of controlling the various factions out in the sticks is a bit naive.

_____________________________

I like to think he was eaten by rats, in the dark, during a fog. It's what he would have wanted...
(Simon R Green on the late James Herbert)

(in reply to Aneirin)

Profile

Post #: 24

RE: Our allies in Pakistan - 6/17/2011 4:45:15 AM

Aneirin

Posts: 6121
Joined: 3/18/2006
From: Tamaris
Status: offline

One would think though given the billions of dollars America has invested in Pakistan, they should be very capable of exacting rule even in the furthest reaches of the country. Or was it the money spent was a bribe to appease whichever tyrant was in charge at the time as in so many other cases that are coming to light, not funds for a country's economical and societal development.

Perhaps the funds awarded should have had stipulations placed upon them not to be ignored to ensure future funding, maybe the awards did, but were ignored or not of the form we should think, but whatever, America kept piling in the money to make what many describe as being a failed state and therefore perhaps the origin of much of the anti American fervour felt in this world.

Perhaps Pakistan is and has being biting the hand that feeds them for so long, that hand has become numb to the pain, yet it still feeds the rabid dog, as to not to could well result in that dog turning on it's master and of the onlookers what would they think if the master with all his power and might took a stick to the dog and beat it into submission, poor dog would be the thought of many.

_____________________________

Everything we are is the result of what we have thought, the mind is everything, what we think, we become - Guatama Buddha

Conservatism is distrust of people tempered by fear - William Gladstone

(in reply to Moonhead)

Profile

Post #: 25

RE: Our allies in Pakistan - 6/17/2011 6:02:08 PM

rawtape

Posts: 105
Joined: 10/31/2006
Status: offline

There are at least three issues to consider here.

First, no nation tolerates its own citizens spying for a foreign power, even if said power is considered (or publicly proclaimed as) an ally. Otherwise the US would not have sentenced Jonathan Pollard to life imprisonment. And given that Pakistan is still ostensibly a democracy, with many of its citizens not overly enthusiastic about what they perceive as attacks on their sovereignty, one cannot really fault their administration for the arrests. After all, they have the recent examples of the Arab Spring to see what happens to the ruling elites when the masses are not too happy.

Second, there is the issue of realpolitik -- balancing China's influence in the neighborhood. Note that China has already been positioning itself to take advantage of the latest US-Pakistan tiff: selling its latest aircraft to Pakistan and leasing a future naval base from them. Pakistan can easily play off one against the other.

Third, as long as US troops are in Afghanistan, the US needs Pakistan as a staging ground for ferrying supplies. Thus, one simply cannot sever ties with them, or threaten them with say, withholding funds or armaments. They temporarily hold the tactical upper hand, and always have the option or turning to China for assistance.

Frankly, successive American administrations have, over the decades, done a terrible job of playing the Great Game in South Asia. And these are the results.

(in reply to Aneirin)

Profile

Post #: 26