America's Downfall
Now that the headline captured your attention, I'm not talking about the Iraq War or the actions of any of the members of the Axis of Evil. Rather, America's foreign policy and its elaborate plans to stabilize Afghanistan will be laid to waste by its so-called "ally" in the war on terror, Pakistan.
When General Musharraf was dictator of Pakistan, the Bush administration lavished billions of dollars of aid and Musharraf kept the American establishment content by providing a top al-Qaeda figurehead every now and then to prove his anti-terror credentials, while simultaneously ignoring the proliferation of a Pakistani Taliban bent on sabotaging the American-backed Hamid Karzai government in Afghanistan. He also exercised little control over Pakistan's rogue Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has carefully bred Islamic terrorists at home to use in a proxy war against India in the Kashmir dispute.
At least back then, the Pakistani government had some control over the Army and the ISI. Now, Pakistan is back to its familiar workings - a state where the civilian government has little actual authority over either its military or its intelligence services. Now that the ISI is free to let loose again, they have acted swiftly, attacking Indian interests in Afghanistan. India, a major backer of the anti-Taliban rebel Northern Alliance group, has poured over $750 million into Afghanistan in development projects and India's influence in Afghanistan must certainly have made Pakistan uneasy. But don't trust the Indian ambassador's words, even the Afghan government has pretty much blamed the ISI for carrying out the attack.
But the U.S. is the ostrich with its head in the sand. Even esteemed American newspaper organizations like the New York Times completely refuse to give credence to the fact that America's beloved ally may actually be sleeping with the enemy, making the Indian allegation seem completely without evidence and completely ignoring the fact that the Afghan government has made the same claims, by devoting all of one contemptuous sentence to the very real and important possibility that an American ally may be a state sponsor of terrorism: "Not surprisingly, Pakistan was swiftly blamed for the bombing, and just as swiftly, denied having a hand in it."
Perhaps the New York Times doesn't want to upset its Pakistani-American reader base and lose out on subscriptions or perhaps the attitude of the New York Times reflects the attitude of the American government, complete and utter denial of the fact that its so-called ally could really be one of the biggest destabilizers in the region.
Whatever the reasons, the situation is clear that America possesses neither the willpower nor the foresight to actually secure Afghanistan. It really is time for India to act like a regional power and deploy military forces in the region to protect its interests. India should not hesitate to strike within Pakistan and if the U.S. has any problems, too bad. The U.S. is responsible for Afghanistan being in this pathetic state in the first place after it diverted resources towards an unnecessary war for oil in Iraq. It's time for America to wake up and realize the ground realities that its ally is not as benign as it seems (as well as for the toothless U.S. media outlets (which in a democratic country, should be ashamed of themselves for their [lack of] journalistic courage)). In the meantime, let's go, India. Step up and fulfill your responsibility as a regional power. The time has come!
When General Musharraf was dictator of Pakistan, the Bush administration lavished billions of dollars of aid and Musharraf kept the American establishment content by providing a top al-Qaeda figurehead every now and then to prove his anti-terror credentials, while simultaneously ignoring the proliferation of a Pakistani Taliban bent on sabotaging the American-backed Hamid Karzai government in Afghanistan. He also exercised little control over Pakistan's rogue Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has carefully bred Islamic terrorists at home to use in a proxy war against India in the Kashmir dispute.
At least back then, the Pakistani government had some control over the Army and the ISI. Now, Pakistan is back to its familiar workings - a state where the civilian government has little actual authority over either its military or its intelligence services. Now that the ISI is free to let loose again, they have acted swiftly, attacking Indian interests in Afghanistan. India, a major backer of the anti-Taliban rebel Northern Alliance group, has poured over $750 million into Afghanistan in development projects and India's influence in Afghanistan must certainly have made Pakistan uneasy. But don't trust the Indian ambassador's words, even the Afghan government has pretty much blamed the ISI for carrying out the attack.
But the U.S. is the ostrich with its head in the sand. Even esteemed American newspaper organizations like the New York Times completely refuse to give credence to the fact that America's beloved ally may actually be sleeping with the enemy, making the Indian allegation seem completely without evidence and completely ignoring the fact that the Afghan government has made the same claims, by devoting all of one contemptuous sentence to the very real and important possibility that an American ally may be a state sponsor of terrorism: "Not surprisingly, Pakistan was swiftly blamed for the bombing, and just as swiftly, denied having a hand in it."
Perhaps the New York Times doesn't want to upset its Pakistani-American reader base and lose out on subscriptions or perhaps the attitude of the New York Times reflects the attitude of the American government, complete and utter denial of the fact that its so-called ally could really be one of the biggest destabilizers in the region.
Whatever the reasons, the situation is clear that America possesses neither the willpower nor the foresight to actually secure Afghanistan. It really is time for India to act like a regional power and deploy military forces in the region to protect its interests. India should not hesitate to strike within Pakistan and if the U.S. has any problems, too bad. The U.S. is responsible for Afghanistan being in this pathetic state in the first place after it diverted resources towards an unnecessary war for oil in Iraq. It's time for America to wake up and realize the ground realities that its ally is not as benign as it seems (as well as for the toothless U.S. media outlets (which in a democratic country, should be ashamed of themselves for their [lack of] journalistic courage)). In the meantime, let's go, India. Step up and fulfill your responsibility as a regional power. The time has come!
posted by Vivek at 9:33 AM
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