Pakistani leadership are trying to downplay the significance of new US aid cuts, insisting they the US has cut back aid so much to begin with that any further cuts are financially insignificant. But there’s more than money involved.
Repeated condemnations of Pakistan by President Trump, who accuses them of “deceit” and being in league with terrorists, is fueling a lot of anger, both among officials and the Pakistani public, and is leading to calls by some influential figures to distance themselves from the US more formally.
US criticism of Pakistan on vague terms far predates the Trump Administration, but President Trump has been a lot less subtle about navigating the situation, and more eager to vilify Pakistan in general, having now announced a full cutoff of military aid.
The significance of the cutoff as a financial measure isn’t even clear from the US perspective, as State Department officials who announced the measure conceded that they as of yet don’t know how much money is being withheld. Private estimates are between $250 million and $400 million, which isn’t a huge financial loss for a nation the size of Pakistan. Rather, the insult that goes with it is far more meaningful, and could have an impact long beyond what State Department officials say is a temporary withholding of aid.
Things could begin to go much worse in Afghanistan for the U.S. A really dumb short sighted move by Trump.
No worries, Russia can help us keep our troops in Afghanistan supplied… Oh, wait –
looks like Donny has been listening to Bonkers again!
How about this pull out of Afghanistan and cut the whole region off from all American support. Let the whole nation collapse and let the drug lords fight it out. It’s time to cut our losses save our money and save our effort because it’s fruitless. Those people don’t want to be anything more than what they are today it’s time to realize and accept that.
If the USG doesn’t know, even roughly, how much “aid” this move is going to save then, to me, it’s obvious they don’t know how much of our taxpayer $$$ are being spent there to begin with.
THAT is what the American taxpayers should be concerned about and ask for a full accounting- and perhaps why the Pentagon refuses to do an full audit.
IF the American people were given a table of everything the USG spends our tax dollars on, perhaps things might change. Perhaps…
They aren’t spending “tax dollars”, they are simply a conduit from the Federal Reserve to that group’s field operations team, of which the Pentagon is the semi-public, visible hq.
And I say let them whether it be China, Russia, or any other country that thinks Pakistan is a reliable partner in the end all they’ll get for it is radicalized psycho’s who are brainwashed into thinking every foreigner is an imperialist enemy. Watch what you wish for you just might get it.
I’m sure Russia or China will be more than happy to step up and roll Pakistan under their wing.
I truly pray they do in the meantime India here we come.You have a powerful friend called America.