US Presses Pakistan to Escalate War
Success of Afghan War 'Depends' on Pakistan
According to an unnamed US official, President Obama has sent a letter to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari urging him to rally support for escalating his war across the nation. The letter reportedly claims that the Afghan war ‘depends’ on Pakistan doing so.
The US has been pressuring Pakistan, basically since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, to launch an ever escalating series of invasions into its tribal areas along the Afghan border.
This year’s massive war in the Swat Valley, which drove millions of civilians from their homes, was in no small measure the result of US condemnations of a peace treaty until Pakistan finally abandoned it and sent the military in.
And even as that offensive was going on through the summer, the US was pressuring Pakistan to invade South Waziristan, which they finally did last month. Now it seems the US has its eye on getting Pakistan into even more wars.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi insists that the nation will never be pressured into launching an operation by outsiders. But after his government has been quite successfully and repeatedly pressured by the US into doing exactly that, their ability to resist American pressure to start wars is very much in doubt.
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Anti_Govt_Rebel
November 17th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
The United States has long ago forfeighted any right to call itself a "peace-loving" nation. The pressure the US gov't is putting on Pakistan is unconscionable.
The US says it is trying to stabalize Afghanistan by sending in an occupation army. Does anybody in the world other than US politicians believe this?
masmanz
November 17th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Who can believe Pakistan's foreign minister? Writing to Pakistan's PM is just a matter of courtesy, US Ambassador can directly 'convince' Pakistan's leading editors and journalists. Have you seen Dawn's editorials and blogs lately? And, when the strategy enters the next phase the folks who are now pushing Pakistan to do more will start accusing Pakistan of killing its own people and send troops to protect the haples civilians in Pakistan's tribal area. No one learns from the fate of Saddam Hussein.
Pakistan's tribal area was a peaceful region, it was never the 'lawless' area it is alleged to be. It was governed by Pakistan using FC rules and the powerful offices of Political Agents with the help of local tribal leaders, Jirga, and Lashkars. All this changes after US invasion of Afghanistan and Musharraf's foolish decision to join the so-called GWOT.
uberVU - social comments
November 17th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
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Steve_Hogan
November 18th, 2009 at 3:21 am
By all means, let's pressure a foreign regime to kill and maim more of its own people! Yeah, that'll work wonders.
The carrot being dangled in front of Zardari's criminal gang surely involves grabbing gobs of money stolen from American taxpayers and squirreling it away in numbered bank accounts. The payoff for this bribe? An increasingly radicalized population whose hatred will be focused entirely on America.
It should be clear to anyone that isn't completely brain dead: our government is out of control. It is counterfeiting with abandon to pay for unwinnable wars against backward nations that pose no threat to our security. The interventions will lead to more terrorist acts, more power grabs, a loss of liberties, and the eventual destruction of our society. These people need to be stopped.