Pakistan Foreign Office Warns US Against ‘Great Game’

Biden Said to Reassure Officials Against Ground Invasion

by Jason Ditz, January 12, 2011

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, officials pressed Vice President Joe Biden on the growing US designs on the region, cautioning that the Pakistani government would not tolerate a new “great game” across Central Asia.

The term “great game” refers to the 19th century conflict between British and Russian forces for control over the area from Persia to the British Raj. Mentions of a new modern era “great game” generally refer to vying for resources in the region as opposed to military occupations like the one the US is currently in the midst of in Afghanistan, as no one other than NATO appears to have serious designs on such military endeavors.

But Biden was said to have responded favorably to the warning, reassuring officials that despite threats to the contrary the US had no intention of launching a ground invasion. Likewise Biden assured them that the US did not want to break the nation up.

Pakistani officials appear to be seriously concerned in recent days about the prospect of such an invasion of their tribal areas, as only yesterday Ambassador Haqqani was trying to reassure officials that there was “no need” for such a US invasion.

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