Yesterday’s announcement that the US is withdrawing some $800 million in military aid from Pakistan looks to do more serious harm to US-Pakistani relations, but if administration officials expected the “rebuke” to be met with an act of contrition from the Pakistani military, they were mistaken.
Rather, Pakistan’s military today insists that they don’t need the US military aid at all, and that the civilian government is the one more in need of help from abroad. Major General Athar Abbas, the military’s spokesman, also accused the US of trying to undermine the military leadership.
But the US isn’t the only horse in the race to court the Pakistanis, and Pakistan’s military is being very plain about this fact. The military is now reporting that they are seeking even closer ties with the Chinese government, in the hopes of “filling the gap” in weapons sales that may be lost by the US.
Pakistan and China have long had a solid relationship bolstered by their mutual tensions with India. It is only natural then, with China’s own ambitions for increased regional influence that they should be in the bidding to court Pakistan, particularly when the US is making it increasingly clear that their relations are at risk.
Perhaps even more interesting is the blaise attitude of the US surrouding this potential loss of what has often been called a “key ally.” Both Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are visiting the region in the next few days, and neither is planning to stop off in Pakistan. Spurning such a visit is likely deliberate, particularly with regional tensions on the rise.
The underlying premise of this article is downright silly, as it assumes that Pakistan isn't already closely aligned with China. Wake up and smell the coffee, for anything from Pakistan's assembled military parts made in China to nuclear cooperation are the order of the day. It wasn't long ago when PM Gailani tried to lure the Afghan government away from the US by unsuccessfully attempting to lure them with a tripatriate alliance with China. Are you even aware about the open secret that the PLA was actively involved with assisting the Taliban regime in Afghanistan until 9/11? What do you suppose those mysterious airlifts were all about in Kunduz at the start of the war? Back then, not only were Pakistani military leaders allowed to take flight, but also the PLA. You can not discount the plausibility that the Al Qaeda has always been the manifestation of a movement sponsored by nation states involved in a 4th gen. war against the United States. Pull your heads out of the sand, America….if I am proven right here, then there's good reason why the US security establishment's been playing it dumb all along and that is to wrong foot the enemy.
IMHO, part of that is true, but the writer also tells that there were always good relations between Pak and China. The point, however, is, that in the past few years the US got quite a lot for their money from a corrupt and greedy Pak government. Among them the VERY unpopular base for drones which were killing many innocent Pakistanis. At one point, however, it was just too much unpopulrity to face for the Pak government and I think it had to look more for its own existence than for the money. And maybe the Pak government got the idea, if the US troops were able to pull off this Bin Laden action, they may try that also on their nuclear weapons bases.
And that would probably the end of the government. Its clear for that they had to become much more thoughtful, probably even listening to their own people (what's difficult for that kind of government).
This reeks of propaganda for the next wave of conquest by the US Empire. The Empire has now chosen India over Pakistan, an alliance long shaping up since Sharon went to India many years ago and moved the US/Israeli/India alliance into high gear.
Right now the Empire can do pretty much as it wishes on most of the planet. The only other nation (actually culture) that can challenge the West is China. The West can get into a win-win agreement with China – and the planet -but that is not the way the Empire works. It is insisting on dominance or what the Chinese call Hegemony. The Chinese were humiliated once by the West and they will not permit it again. And China pulled itself out of the Western colonial orbit once and for all in 1949. It only re-engaged on its own terms – and from a position of strength -when Nixon went to China in the 70s.
India would be foolish to play the US's game but we have seen this happen again and again. India will meet a sad fate if it does not wise up. Remember 1/3 of its territory is host to a Maoist insurgency of varying strengths. And India is riven with a powerful Hindu/Muslim antagonism. India would be better off to steer clear of the US Empire and work for its own development. Its road to prosperity lies through the BRICS not in preserving its chains to its old colonial masters and their successors.
John V. Walsh
I wonder if behind the scenes Pakistan's government finally grew a pair and told Washington to keep their so called "aid" bribe and now Washington's trying to put a positive spin on it?
I said this would happen- and I said this would happen months ago right here in my comments. If the US pulls the plug on Pakistan's cash flow, China and/or Russia will be more than happy to step in and take our place.
If we blow this, China has a perfect card to play, too- OUR economy. We give up Pakistan and China doesn't squeeze us on the domestic front.
Go team.
I remember you saying it. Of course you know what happens to nations that don't want US aid. They get put on the axis of naughty, then sanctions, UN resolutions, yada yada and finally we bomb them. For their own good of course.
It has been many many years since an American diplomat arrived anywhere with anything other than clubs in the diplomatic suitcase.
Obama trotted out all the old cold war warriors starting with Clinton, with their cold war conditioned reflexes, who go roaming the world shaking their fingers at each and everyone, telling them what they "must do." The great war hawk Brezenski is a close advisor.
Small wonder that Chinese is becoming such a popular lanuage.
YOO!!
Way to go Pakistan.
Good on you.
one thing we should keep in mind that we don't need america, america needs us. pakistan will be more strong and sovereign state after ties with china..
This is a good for peace loving pakistanis to distance themselves for killing around the world by americans and we have nothing to loose.
We have destroyed our economy, were killed 40000 Pakistanis and suicide bombers trained by americans in Pakistani cities together joint venture CIA and RAW.
Pakistan can charge transit fees, road tax and security charges as well as petrol prices on international rates with tax. It will fetch more than 10 billion dollars a year and don,t trust americans they are unthankful and unsincere friend of Pakistan.
God bleyy america for their stupid and arrogant attitude.
What's RAW?
indian intelligence egency, like ISI of pakistan and CIA of america..
If the Pakistan Military is saying that they DO NOT need the so called Bribed turned ''AIDS'',delibrately wrote AIDS as US money is no less than a killer Disease than good but shame on them that they said it is public who needs it more.We as Public out right reject this and ask US to stop all Aids to Pakistan and seek an apology from our Military for saying so.USA can keep its money as they may need to for their public good.The world know where US is heading,its just a matter of time when even an ignorent illitrerate will be able to read the writing on the wall about USA.At the same time I gartefully ask the congress and US senate to please stop abusing Pakistan for your own whims and ills and don't even dare ponking nose anymore in our domestic issues,we soon will be packing all your crafted crooks installed upon us for generations, back to where they belong to.
Everything Obama touches turns to shit!
Years of arrogance and pandering by the USG are finally coming home to roost. What is happening with Pakistan is only the most visible of the crumbling relations around the world. Bush's "with us or agin us" policy directive clearly began the rush to complete collapse of the US's once vaunted world standing – right or wrong. But Obama's diplomatic and foreign policy ineptitude is only quickening the pace of decline. The USG has too many little fires going to keep it all straight and with amateurs in charge failure is only a matter of time. Unfortunately, the game they are playing has the potential to be catastrophic for the US and by default the other countries tied inextricably to the fate of the US dollar.
Have the Chinese gotten to the stage of their development where they feel they can successfully challenge the world standing of the US? Are they ready to achieve the goal they've been striving toward since the early 1950's? They already own most of the US debt. The obvious next step is to start dismantling the US empire, piece by piece – the threat of a "call" on their IOUs the hammer to keep the USG malleable.
On the one hand, I personally don't see a problem with the US forcibly being "untied" from all of those entanglements developed over hundreds of years. Overall they've not been much of a boon. But on the flipside, I'm not sure how the "American Exceptionalism" advocates are going to react – especially those in the government – when it becomes clear to the American people that the US has been supplanted as the titular world leader. The final blow will be when the Yuan replaces the Dollar as the world's preferred trading mechanism. Watch the currency markets because the bankers will tip their hands well before the public is made aware.
The US don't like what Chinas doing and says itr will cause problems.They did not care when they were selling wepons to potential thrats to China.America is finnaly at the end of there leash and will have to stop bullying countrys into helping them like my country thats always been known for peace keeping.Even with Americans threats we should have stayed out of there illegal wars Now Canada and many others will not be bullyied into supporting America how hold us down.I hope when they finnaly fall all people involved in illegal waes are jailed including any other country that helped no matter how littel .Even my own govewrnment if they broak the geniva convention or any laws.I also read somewere that Israel is selling America out selling military tecnology to China.China is smarter than the USA government and will never let Israel get hold of them the way they did America.
I'm sure the Pakistanis will miss Hilary Clinton's repeated condescending threats masked as diplomacy – as well as the cankles
The law of unintended consequences. The US is making more enemies than it can kill. And China is woeing them all to their side. This is gonna be interesting.