Sen. Kerry Slams White House Pakistan Strategy

Obama Plan "Is Not a Real Strategy"

Having just wrapped up his high-profile visit to Pakistan, Senator John Kerry (D – MA) pointed to growing turmoil in the South Asian nation, and slammed the Obama Administration for not having “an adequate policy or plan to deal with it.” According to Sen. Kerry, the “comprehensive new strategy” the administration presented last month “is not a real strategy.”

Sen. Kerry also cautioned the administration against talking about an “Af-Pak” policy. Though aimed at presenting the administration’s view that the two conflicts are inexorably linked through a unified US strategy, the senator says “it does a disservice to both countries and to the policy” and that the respective governments “don’t see the linkage.”

The administration’s plan mostly involves vague promises of “A New Way Forward” while making the Afghan government more accountable and providing “a vibrant economy” for Pakistan, at a time when that nation is increasingly moving toward total economic ruin.

During the visit, the Pakistani government pressured Sen. Kerry for more aid, and cautioned the US against attaching any conditions to the massive aid packages already proposed by the administration. Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani said any “strings attached” to the aid would eliminate any good will the US hopes to generate by providing billions to the struggling government.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.