CHUZTPAH AND THE PAKISTAN ILLUSION
There was a rather hysterical piece recently in the Guardian* under the extraordinary title ‘Pakistan Has Had Enough,’ this following the inevitable confrontation between Pakistani troops and troops representing the NATO Alliance; the idea that the Pakistan government had finally reached the end of its tether representing the most extraordinary example, elephantine in proportions, of Chutzpah. This very same government, in all manifestations has been consistently double crossing western governments ever since 9/11, as recently shown on a BBC documentary. ** Its as if a friend, who steals from you, lies about you behind your back and consistently works against your best interests, caught in the act declares oh this is too much, enough already and threatens to end the ‘friendship.’ This in itself would insulting enough but add to this that you are also bankrolling your friend to the tune of thousands of pounds.# Is not the ‘friendship’ an illusion and a dangerous one at that.
The subsequent Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan was boycotted by Pakistan, the absence to my mind clearly illustrating the reality, up until now only spoken in whispers by our representatives, that Pakistan is not part of the solution but part of the problem, the conference might more accurately be characterised as the what to do about Pakistan conference. Indeed it is this question of how to deal with this nuclear armed failed state that will, regardless of withdrawal timetables, come to dominate not just the region but the whole world.
*http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/27/pakistan-strategic-error
**http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/10_october/26/pakistan.shtml
# The U.S. is expected to triple non-military aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion per year over 10 years. Wikepedia.
The subsequent Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan was boycotted by Pakistan, the absence to my mind clearly illustrating the reality, up until now only spoken in whispers by our representatives, that Pakistan is not part of the solution but part of the problem, the conference might more accurately be characterised as the what to do about Pakistan conference. Indeed it is this question of how to deal with this nuclear armed failed state that will, regardless of withdrawal timetables, come to dominate not just the region but the whole world.
*http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/27/pakistan-strategic-error
**http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/10_october/26/pakistan.shtml
# The U.S. is expected to triple non-military aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion per year over 10 years. Wikepedia.