President Trump has made clear in recent days he intends to make some cuts to Pakistan aid, and congressional aides familiar with the situation say that the details will be announced by the State Department either Wednesday or Thursday. It appears this will be on Thursday.
The aides say that US military aid to Pakistan will be cut, though the exact details of how much and how long are as yet not clear. The White House has yet to comment publicly on the matter.
Some $255 million in Pentagon funding for Pakistan has been suggested to be at stake, with officials repeatedly suggesting it was likely to be cut since back in August, when President Trump set out his Afghan War escalation.
President Trump has suggested problems with the Afghan War are related to Pakistan not “cooperating” and that Pakistan hasn’t provided the support needed. Pakistani officials have criticized Trump’s comments, saying the US is constantly using them as a scapegoat, and that Pakistan will continue to act in its best interests.
Seems Trump is into a full blown Christian Zionist melt down. The people who enabled the USA and Facilitated so many of the American attacks in Afghanistan are now labeled as treacherous thieves.
I think Trumps mob is seriously underestimating the resolve of these folks and will now start to see their control diminishing.
Like Israeli’s Americans need to buy their friends these days and the number of countries willing to sell that friendship is diminishing.
From an article in the Atlantic a few years ago:
“officials said the United States has been unable to break a powerful, army-backed narrative in Pakistan that militant attacks are the result of America’s war on terror. Foreign powers, not Pakistan, are responsible for growing militancy in Pakistan, according to the narrative. And Pakistan is not responsible for the problem and unable to stop it.”
And they may well be right about that. While cutting direct military aid may well alienate an ally, it may reduce the risk of another military coup in Pakistan. Like military aid to Egypt and various other regimes, it distorts local politics and moves their military leaders away from civilian oversight… or in this case towards civilian oversight, by Mr Trump. Pakistan as a US puppet regime plays into the hands of the militants.
So…where exactly do they think their logistics flow through on the way to Afghanistan?
At the end of the day, they’re going to shut up and write the check that keeps the jingle trucks flowing. End of story.