The Saga of Pakistan

[nathanael]

Pakistan seems to be a too hard nut to crack for Sen. Obama, given that the powerful army of that country, presided by Musharraf, has been forced to negotiate with the Taliban-supporting terrorists. Pakistan reminds me of huge soap opera on the world scene. All "actors" are pathetic and sly. The chief protagonist, "a cat of nine lives," is the President himself. Normally, though, soap operas are short-term, have a beginning and an end, and have not much tragedy in them. But this one abounds in tragedies, and drags on and on and on. We never really know what goes on. On one side there is India in the waiting for signs of weakness. Then there is the FETA district which is beyond central government's control. The coalition of political parties is balanced against the presidential office and the Pakistam Muslim League Q. They hate each others guts. The military remains uncommitted and unpredictable, apparently standing on the way for this people going at each other. The atomic weapons are probably in the military's hands. No one knows who has them and where they are. The Islamists are populating the country. They have their own unspecified agendas, from Taliban, to al-Qaida, to "defeating India." It is an explosive mix of "checks and balances," not in the democratic sense, but balances by sheer "power sharing agreements." Personal power interests is what keeps these parties from destroying each other. Sharif Nawaz and the husband of Mrs. Bhutto, both convicted of wrongdoing, are too weak to confront Islamic terrorism, even in coalition. Pervez Musharraf knows it. Now throw into this mix a neophite like Sen. Obama and the soap opera gets real wild! What can he offer, other that naivete and inexperience? The treacherous and ruthless soap opera characters know this and they can't wait for his coming, to have some fun!

[kaima]

ahhh Natahanael,

you are slowly giving me the impression you don't care for Sen. Obama very much! Would you have preferred Hillary in a Burka dropping in on Pakistan on a state visit?

<<<Pakistan seems to be a too hard nut to crack for Sen. Obama,>>>
It was a bit tough perhaps for our ex-gov from Texas as well, Prez Bush. He has had 7 years, trillions of dollars an thousands of young American lives to make a difference in Pakistan. He seems to have diverted our resources to Iraq instead of sending in an armed delegation of soldiers to pick up Osama when he was trapped on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Maybe a new approach is needed rather than more of the same from the last 7 years.

<<<Normally, though, soap operas are short-term,>>>
... as usual with exceptions. Days of Our Lives was entertaining our grandmothers, I believe.

<<<The Islamists are populating the country.>>>
We have the same problem with religionists in America. The liberals practice birth control and the religionists are winning by demography, having many, many children. The same is a problem with Israel & the liberal Jews being outpopulated by the conservative Palestinians.

<<<naivete and inexperience?>>>
With our currently low-ebb status of the US (not Poland) in the world, massive debt and undefined point of success in Iraq, how much more maivete and inexperience do you expect Obama would bring to the office? It will be hard for him to assemble a more warlike, draft-dodging assembly of old politicos than Bush managed.

Where would you like to see this country go? How do you envision it getting there?

Kai

[nathanael]

Another massive rally has just been held in Pakistan. I wish I knew what is that Pakistan really wants! Have I known that, I would have written it down, here. But I do not. This is not about "judges"! This is something much bigger. Is it that there is some Moslem uprising in the making? Is Osama Bin Laden behind it? The people have to be listened to. But I wish someone told me who is leading them, or what cause! Do they want a nuclear armed Pakistan fully independent from the world opinion, a Maverick Superpower To-Be-Feared-By-All? Or do they want, as they should, to be a Trusted Part of the World Community? I wish I knew!

[nathanael]

What a world, Pakistan! The media have just reported that "two American spies have been decapitated." The militants that use knives to decapitate live prisoners are beasts in human skins. This is not about Moslem versus Christian. This is not burka versus bikini. This is about human bombs tearing innocent people to shreads! This is ruthless animalized- humans versus a more humanized kind! The problem is that these thugs are very powerful, numerous, and crafty. If they think themselves capable of taking a city like Peshawar with three million people, who will stop them from overruning the garrisons in charge of the nuclear weapons? This situation is a classic illegitimate baby of the NATO's ineffectiveness! Much blame falls on the commanders and on the nations on which the commanders depend for soldiers and weapons! Afghanistan has taken far to long to be democratized! This is everybody's fault for with the proper arm forces it was perfectly doable. The more time it takes to pacify Afghanistan, the more people will die, innocent people, that is, women and children! But the soulless world governments seem in no hurry! It's in the business for their surrogates to stay in Afganistan for decades collecting military wages. I have heard that Germany is planning to send extra 1,000 "bread winners" to Afghanistan "for indefinite time." It's pure economics for the military! Had Afganistan been free, the rebels of Pakistan would have found themselves between a rock and a hard place! Instead they, like the Western governments, are having a field day in both Afganistan and Pakistan, also planning to stay ... in a sort of weird stalemate where not winning is winning for both. For in this test of wills the rebels gain prestige with each passing day, which for them is like money! So ultimately, the situation in Afghanistan comes down to powerful political self-interests, both of which are essentially the same, and both of which want to delay the outcome as much as possible

[Atlantis5]

Jun 28, 2008 13:35:35 GMT -7 @Nathanael said:

What a world, Pakistan! The media have just reported that "two American spies have been decapitated." The militants that use knives to decapitate live prisoners are beasts in human skins. This is not about Moslem versus Christian. This is not burka versus bikini. This is about human bombs tearing innocent people to shreads! This is ruthless animalized- humans versus a more humanized kind! The problem is that these thugs are very powerful, numerous, and crafty. If they think themselves capable of taking a city like Peshawar with three million people, who will stop them from overruning the garrisons in charge of the nuclear weapons? This situation is a classic illegitimate baby of the NATO's ineffectiveness! Much blame falls on the commanders and on the nations on which the commanders depend for soldiers and weapons! Afghanistan has taken far to long to be democratized! This is everybody's fault for with the proper arm forces it was perfectly doable. The more time it takes to pacify Afghanistan, the more people will die, innocent people, that is, women and children! But the soulless world governments seem in no hurry! It's in the business for their surrogates to stay in Afganistan for decades collecting military wages. I have heard that Germany is planning to send extra 1,000 "bread winners" to Afghanistan "for indefinite time." It's pure economics for the military! Had Afganistan been free, the rebels of Pakistan would have found themselves between a rock and a hard place! Instead they, like the Western governments, are having a field day in both Afganistan and Pakistan, also planning to stay ... in a sort of weird stalemate where not winning is winning for both. For in this test of wills the rebels gain prestige with each passing day, which for them is like money! So ultimately, the situation in Afghanistan comes down to powerful political self-interests, both of which are essentially the same, and both of which want to delay the outcome as much as possible

Nathanial

This is one of the large mistakes of the American way of life! For the expectation is that all others must be in the American image of government and way of life.. For this is not the case beyond the American shores, I will say for sure...

The Russians failed miserably some years past in Afghanistan, so for why should the Americans be disappointed?

For as of this time of year, is the harvest of opium. And this is the entire money crop of Afghanistan. For that miserable land is incapable of agriculture.

The so called Taliban, is simply of mountain loused simpletons of dirt/sweat. But, they do have a trait that is indispensable, they have will power, dedication with support from the people of the land they fight in, and Pakistan.

That land is nothing but of rock/dirt/heat/and nothing. For it is filled with unter ground caverns for domicile of any animal, let a lone a freedom fighter.

The Russians used every thing from gas, to explosives, to petrol to burn out the freedom fighters they were to confront, and it was all for nothing. For the reason, that d**n place is nothing.

The war is not of Muslim or Christian, the war is removal of the foreign militaries out of their land. To believe otherwise is of living in a fools Paradise. For in the end, it will be the same, the land will continue in as much as to the people of that land.

Charles

[nathanael]

Today, in McClatchy, Saeed Shan wonders "why the Pakistani military stays in Darra fort, while the Taliban take control of the town." Indeed, it is both tragic and funny! The way I understand his article, is that Darra is not under a firm control of Pakistan. This to me means either secession, or anarchy. Paradoxically, though, neither secession nor anarchy fits the description of what goes on in Darra! What is it, then? Lets call it talibarchy for lack of a better word. The talibarchy is a new phenomenon in the world realpolitic. Colombian FARC is also a talibarchy of sorts. Under this geopolitical "novelty," the legitimate governments are being stripped of some of their power. The Taliban make their own machine guns and bullets! They have their own justice and schools. They are "loved" by the people. They legally buy and sell M-16's captured on government soldiers (by the way, on the photo, the army identification number is clear). No one from the Pakistani government asks the seller where he got the M-16! Not even the U.S. Ambassador! Was there a crime committed in seizing this weapon? Was someone killed? No one knows!
Talibarchy is a new kid on the block to be feared! How could this have happened? The talibarchies are only possible in very remote areas and border areas. This is the main characteristic. Yet, why in Tibet or Siberia there is no talibarchy? They are remote, all right. This indicates that ultimately this phenomen is the result of governmental inaction! Nations have only themselves to blame for the talibarchies!