When politicians wax philosophical. At least this is a step in the right direction. If politicians can shift their rhetoric from political paradigms to philosophical ones, perhaps the day will eventually come when they can take the next step and articulate themselves through a theological paradigm, when they will be able to say “Pakistan faces theological threat from militants.” For now, this will have to do:
“Pakistan faces ‘existential threat’ from militants,” by David Morgan for Reuters, September 23:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Islamist safe havens in western Pakistan are threatening the existence of Pakistan’s civilian government through increased attacks, including last weekend’s Marriott hotel bombing, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Tuesday.
“The nature of the threat that they face, beginning with the assassination of the current president’s wife and now most recently the attack on the Marriott hotel, makes very clear to the Pakistani government that they face an existential threat in the western part of their country,” Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The remote mountainous region believed to be a safe harbour for al Qaeda and other groups also poses the greatest threat of terrorism against the United States, Gates said in hearing testimony that underscored the dangers posed by the tribal lands along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan…