Pakistan on the Brink

[umalak_]

Summary: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has supported Washington's war on terror so far. But he rules an impoverished and increasingly radical population and faces a powerful enemy next door. If the economic crisis continues, his government could fall, bringing Islamists to power and giving them control over nuclear weapons.

The survival of Pakistan in its existing form is a vital U.S. security interest, one that trumps all other American interests in the country. A collapse of Pakistan -- into internal anarchy or an Islamist revolution -- would cripple the global campaign against Islamist terrorism. Strengthening the Pakistani state and cementing its cooperation with the West have thus become immensely important to Washington.

(story continued on website linked below)

I don't know if this link is going to work for everyone, but this was a good story: http://www.foreignaffairs.org/200201...-pakistan.html

[Sinner]

hopefully they at least have some fighter planes.

[umalak_]

i should smack you for trying to be funny about this serious issue

[Sinner]

Originally Posted by umalak_

i should smack you for trying to be funny about this serious issue

You're pretty violent for a tree huggin' hippie.

[PETA]

Originally Posted by MicahB

You're pretty violent for a tree huggin' hippie.

he does kill whales

[Sinner]

Whale killing, tree huggin' hippie!!1!

[Dionysos]

Originally Posted by MicahB

You're pretty violent for a tree huggin' hippie.

He's what I like to call a 'militant pacifist'. He'll make you see the logic behind non-violence, even if he has to kill you in the process.

[MC Twinkie]

what's so bad about a government falling. No one cried when the USSR broke up. Governments rise and fall all the time. What's the movies with the old and the sand? "...breach and fall."

It would be sooooo much cheaper for america to just go in there and remove the nukes and then just let everyone get slaughtered. SOOO much cheaper!

[umalak_]

Originally Posted by Dionysos

He's what I like to call a 'militant pacifist'. He'll make you see the logic behind non-violence, even if he has to kill you in the process.

that's not really how i am though

but anyway, the issue with Pakistan is that Pakistan helped arm NK did it not? and the U.S. isn't the only one arming Pakistan because Russia is as well.

I just think we need to NOT be arming the entire world, I fail to see how that's in our best interests except for getting money.... but even then it's a waste if we're not paying down our debt.

[umalak_]

So there is more news from Pakistan... basically the CIA goes over and asks them if they can have more control over how things are going against Al-Queda and they say no. That's simplifying it a bit but that's basically the gist.

So here's how the whole scenario lays out:

1. Al-Queda, Taliban, militants, etc are in Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan
2. U.S. has a war against them and yet we don't have permission to really do much
3. U.S. gives Pakistan 10 billion dollars in aid so they will help
4. Pakistan takes the money and sends troops but Musharraf states he isn't too terribly concerned with Al-Queda
5. Bush comes back and tells the U.S. people that Pakistan is with us and they are going to help us stamp out Al-Queda
6. Musharraf again, as recently as last week I believe, states that he still is not too concerned with Al-Queda and that nothing has changed... he has troops in the area but basically he isn't doing jack shit
7. Bush and the U.S. got PWNED

All we've been allowed to do is fly these armed spy planes over the country, and they've dropped some bombs with varying degrees of success... but nothing too concrete.

wonderful

[umalak_]

this is why the "war on terror" isn't going anywhere and why the american people continue to allow themselves to be lied to... no one gives a shit about what's going on

everyone wants to talk about:

a) the election
b) war in iraq
c) what britney spears is doing

the war on terror is happening in Pakistan and it's going horrible... and it's complicated because Pakistan wants to take care of it themselves because they don't want to seem like puppets for the U.S. Govt and we want to be in there because they attacked us on 9/11... and nothing is really getting done as effectively as it should. The covert ops already said they want to go in there without Musharraf's approval which would cause a huge clusterfuck... and who knows, I don't think they would do that but never say never and if the U.S. goes in there without permission look for another war to start because Musharraf stated that if we go in there without permission that will be looked upon as an invasion.

Is no one else even the slightest bit concerned about this? or are we just going to talk about all the crappy healthcare plans the candidates are putting forward?

[Sinner]

Wait... what did you say Britney Spears is doing?

[umalak_]

probably sitting around thinking about what Pakistan is doing.