President Barack Obama’s new Afghanistan strategy of December depends, much as his virtually identical new Afghanistan strategy of March, on convincing the Pakistani government to commit ever increasing numbers of soldiers to its northern border.
And while this hasn’t exactly worked to begin with, they have convinced Pakistan to commit 200,000 troops to fighting what have so far been fruitless conflicts. Even this seems to be threatened by the latest Pakistani government crisis.
With the loss of immunity to corruption charges, President Zardari’s ruling faction is fading fast. Their already tenuous credibility is shot, and top officials are facing indictment.
While Zardari’s determination to fight for his office will likely keep him nominally in power for awhile, his ability to order the military into new wars is very much in doubt. President Obama’s demands to attack Balochistan, North Waziristan, etc, will likely seem like a low priority, if Zardari is able to push them through at all.
Which is yet another flaw in President Obama’s strategy, as any plan that rested on the assumption Pakistan would maintain a stable civilian government for more than a few years ignores the realities of the region. Of course, this flaw is secondary to the fact that repeated escalations simply haven’t worked in the past, for the US or anyone else, when fighting in Afghanistan.
Life is full of disappointments when one depends on others to accomplish their objectives.. When that someone is Mr Ten Percent, well all bets are…well…bets and NOT sure things… Add to that the complexity of liberating Afghanistan from their traditional values and customs for a more progressive and secular society, and the mixture becomes very unstable….. It's that neocon creative destruction that they love to trumpet ""Because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts we have lit a fire as well, a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power; it burns those who fight its progress. And one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world." It must be quite dark these days in Afghanistan…Today is the shortest, darkest day of this year…!
The main ‘flaw’ was to assume that a corrupt bunch of people would remain in power!
No matter what you say about Pakistan, they still seem to be doing better than the other US-neo-colonies such as Saudi Arabia, or UAE, where a handful of extemly cruel and corrupt leaders are suppressing the populus for cheap US oil.
Well done Pakistan! Your happiness and prosperity is indeed more essential than supplying the US oil-junky with some cheap hits!
The US forced corrupt European politicians into supplying it with cannon fodder in Iraq, over the will of the populus. Don’t let them do that to you Pakistan!
Obviously a very poorly thought out strategy, since having the US treat this Pakistan government as a complete puppet, and to have this government attack its own people in a US-led proxy war, was always certain to destabilize and eventually destroy this government.
This is the very predictable result of Obama's strategy. If this very predictable outcome threatens the same strategy, then that strategy was just incredibly stupid to begin with.
Never let history intrude upon or leaders "wishes". That would be showing him to be as naked as the rest of the world already sees him.
Anyway Pakistan can be 'returned' to India? That would solve a lot of problems. Guess not.