One might almost get the idea that there was too much sympathy for the jihadis in the Pakistani government for it to take any significant action against them, and that this money has been wasted due to a refusal to deal realistically with that fact. But such considerations could be “Islamophobic,” and so it is unlikely that Washington is going to cut off the jizya flow anytime soon.
“US unable to get Pakistan to confront militants,” Reuters, December 19, 2014 (thanks to Lookmann):
Since 2001 the United States has tried virtually every strategy available to persuade Pakistan’s army to take the threat of militancy more seriously, but 12 years and $28 billion in aid later, all the American approaches are widely viewed as having failed.
First, the Bush administration heaped praise on former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, agreed to reimburse the Pakistani army for anti-Taliban military operations and launched drone strikes that killed al Qaeda leaders and militants wanted by the Pakistani government.
Adopting a more confrontational stance, the Obama administration unilaterally carried out the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, vastly increased aid to Pakistan’s weak civilian institutions and, at times, cut off aid to the Pakistani military.
Yet the militants continue to operate, ever more brazenly, as illustrated by Tuesday’s harrowing attack on a school in Peshawar, in which 132 students were killed by a faction of the Pakistan Taliban. And with the United States increasingly focused on other crises, Washington’s options for bringing about change in an increasingly unstable Pakistan are dwindling fast.
“There is great ‘Pakistan fatigue’ in Washington,” said Cameron Munter, who served as the American ambassador to Pakistan from 2010 to 2012. “Not only have the last dozen years been very difficult, but other challenges – from Syria to Ukraine to Iran, to name a few – demand our attention.”
Although Tuesday’s attack sparked widespread condemnation, current and former US officials expressed cynicism that the bloodshed would cause Pakistan’s military to change its view of militants.
Munter and other 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.
That narrative played out immediately when Pakistan’s army chief, General Raheel Sharif, flew to Afghanistan within 24 hours of the attack to meet Afghan leaders. They said they had information that the school attack was directed by militants hiding inside Afghanistan.
“We are hoping that we will see strong action from the Afghan side in the coming days,” said Pakistani army spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa.
One senior American official said he hoped the trip was not “communications Kabuki” designed to divert blame for the failure to stop the attack away from the Pakistani army. Analysts said the army is failing to live up to its decades-long history of training, funding and sheltering some militant groups and using them as proxies to counter archrival India in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
Since 2001 a parade of American officials – from presidents to CIA directors – have repeatedly warned Pakistan’s generals that they will lose control of their militant proxies and eventually be attacked by them. Pakistani military officials have denied sheltering militants.
But some current and former US officials said the sheer brutality of this week’s attack would intensify demands from Pakistan’s public for the army to confront militancy. James Dobbins, who served as the Obama Administration’s Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2013 to 2014, said there was also growing pressure from Pakistan’s longtime ally China.
“I think they are pressing Pakistan to take this threat more seriously,” he said….
Good luck with that.
noellsq says
We should stop giving aid to countries that do not respond to our requests.
mortimer says
The Taliban atrocities are motivating Pakistanis to remove the Taliban from the earth.
duh_swami says
Does that mean you think the US should continue paying jizya to Paki?
barbara says
Figures. The iman in the white house has been aiding and abetting jihadists for years. That money should have gone to israel.
The chinese are supporting israel , and investing in their technologies?
China? Impeach obama!
Angemon says
barbara posted:
“The chinese are supporting israel , and investing in their technologies”
And they’re also willing to help Iraq fight ISIS:
http://rt.com/news/214243-china-iraq-military-isis/
Ayatrollah says
This is not a suprize. The quran says muslims can’t favor non muslims over believers.
Also, there is no “good” or “bad” islam, only islam.
mortimer says
Correctly stated: “there is no “good” or “bad” islam, only islam.”
The people of Islam are a different matter: there are observant and non-observant Muslims.
Observant Muslims are active jihadists.
Non-observant Muslims are lax about practice, uncertain about major doctrines (such as jihad) and do not participate in jihad either personally or financially. Non-observant Muslims may even have true friendships with non-Muslims, rather than practice proper Islamic apartheid. These are the ‘bad’ Muslims.
The jihadists are the most committed Muslims.
joeb says
Have they tried threatening to bomb them back to the stone age? Admittedly, it wouldn’t take much – they’re so close already, but you get my drift…
Byron Bostic says
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Please spread the word in your organization and e-mail newsletter!
Stop all Muslim Terrorists by any means necessary! For all ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, Taliban, Boko Haram, P.L.O., Black September and all other Muslim Terrorists do, These bullets, bombs, missiles and lasers are for you! Courtesy of Israel, the U.S.A., E.C., Australia and Canada! Vote with your money and Boycott all Muslim Countries goods and services as they are the enemies of Western Democracies, Separation of Religion and Government, Western Freedoms, Equalities and Human Rights! They use their children and civilians as Human Shields, Kill innocent children, women and men all over the world for not being Muslims or their brand of Muslim, practice Polygamy (up to 4 wives for men), practice child marriages from age 9 to 18, practice Female Genital Mutilation (no orgasms), treat women and non-Muslims as second-class citizens, practice Honor Killings (for dating or marrying Non-Muslims), practice killings for Apostasy (anyone leaving Islam or refusing to acknowledge they are Muslim by having a birth parent who is Muslim), practice wife and child beatings, practice flogging by whips or caning for drinking alcohol or gambling and have vowed to fight Israel, Jews & Christians and all other Religions until they conquer us! Islam’s Koran and Sharia Laws teaches Muslims that they can Lie, Cheat, Steal, Rape and Murder non-Muslims to further Islam’s conquering the world!
joeb says
On BBC News yesterday, I saw Lt. Gen. (ret) Hamid Gul of the Pakistani Army interviewed.
BBC reporter: “Many have accused you of supporting the Afghan Taliban and therefore creating the very extremism that is plaguing Pakistan”
Gul: NO! We supported Jihad – Jihad is NOT extremism. It is not extremism.
BBC Reporter: blank look on face
A very telling moment…
Jaladhi says
Pakistan is a Muslim jihadi and terrorist nation. How can you expect them to control terrorists. they are all controlled ordered by ISI of Pakistani army. Pakistan only believes in exporting terror throughout the world and more so to India, the nation from which it was born. Good riddance of these terrorists from India. Unfortunately at that time 40 million Muslims were allowed to live in India who have multiplied to 150 million now and are a big head ache for India in spite of what the media says that they live peacefully in India. Not so!! The West could have easily learned a lesson about Muslims from this before allowing Muslim immigration in the West. Now we are paying the price!!
AM says
The leaders of Europe are treasonous traitors who are selling out their nations to a future of Islam. How can they forget that just a few centuries they were battling against Islam at the very gates of Vienna?! But thankfully, people are starting to wake up……..
Don McKellar says
Why should they confront jihadists? They have no incentive, and the U.S. Military Industrial Complex, on whom the Pakistan government spends so much of that aid to buy large equipment, will make sure no incentive gets in the way of the flow of American taxpayer money.
Mac-101 says
Stop foreign AID to ALL countries NOW. The USSA is BROKE, and what do we git for it? Nothin!
WhatsUpDoc says
They are blaming India for this attack in some of their news channels.
Two newsmen were discussing the details of the attack. One of them pointed out that culprits burned a female teacher alive in front of the students. He said that ” every Muslim knows that burning alive is strictly forbidden in Islam but its a part of Hindu religion because the worship Agni (fire) therefore its unlikely that culprits were Muslims”
A very sick society badly effected by the cancer of Islam. None of them brought this argument when slaves of Allah burn alive Christians.
I think after Ibn Abass heard that Ali had burned alive apostates, in the glory days of good old Islam, he said that I would not have burned them because that is stepping up Allah’s punishment of burning but I would have surly beheaded them.
zebo says
lol-you can give pakistan 280 billion they would not confront the jihadists because half if the country are jihadists=pakistan government would loose this confrontation 100% for sure.
Radicalism and Jihad can easy be detected by the most primitive cultural standards.= tribalism and incest.
Both exist to isolate the own group from others and preserve influence and power and both are very common(in england 50% of all afghans and pakis(turks 30%) mary inside their own family and as result 50% of all handicapped children there are muslims(allah is so great to his children.Isn’t he!?)
incest is the ultimate(and very first) form of racism as the own family is considered superior to all others and those people willingfully risc to give birth to physically and mentally handicapped children to protect their status quo.
Neil says
All aid to Islamic countries, which is largely generated by hard-pressed tax payers in the West should stop immediately. At the very least we are funding our own subjugation, at the worst, our own destruction.
On another note, can any of you seasoned JW’rs confirm the correct pronunciation of jizya and takiya please? Is it Ji-zee-a & tak-ee-a?
Don McKellar says
jizya is pronounced “for-en-aid”
taqyiya or takiya is pronounced “oh-bah-ma”
Salah says
“After $28 billion in aid, US still can’t get Pakistan to confront jihadists”
It was the other way around in the case of Egypt; after having cut all aid to Egypt, the US couldn’t get the Egyptian people to STOP confronting jihadists!!!
Hmmm…wonder why!
Is this so-called aid meant to FIGHT or to FUND jihadists?
Don McKellar says
That’s because the aid is not meant to either fight nor fund the jihadists! It is meant to be used to purchase high ticket items from the U.S. Military Industrial Complex, which countries like Egypt and Pakistan do with a good portion of the money they get. That’s why such massive wads of taxpayer money are readily approved and regularly handed out. It is a vicious circle from which the American taxpayer cannot seem to escape because they keep on voting in the corrupt representatives who keep on punishing them. Unless you work for the U.S. Military Industrial Complex in some way — then it’s all good.
Arthur says
Of all nuclear powers, Pakistan is the only Muslim-majority nation. I suspect our 28 billion is really more about keeping those weapons in Pakistan and under government control. Iran is chomping at the bit to nuke Israel, and I can’t believe it would be too hard for a Paki army division to drive a missile launcher across the border shared between Pakistan and Iran. What happens then? With Russia and China acting as Iran’s allies, the UK and France politically paralyzed and anti-Semitic, and North Korea gunning for Japan, what would a World War III look like? Not a foregone conclusion that democracy and liberty will come out on top, I think.
Kiwikaffir says
Surely the USA knows Islamists will never side with non-muslims. They will soften you up with taqiyya but bottom line is they won’t pick sides with you.
Why doesn’t the American leaders know this?
duh_swami says
Being well paid to not fight Taliban too hard is job security. Why should they quit such a well paying job? The best thing for the receivers of the cash is to hasten slowly, don’t move too fast, don’t get too much done…Keep that jizya coming.
That plan has worked well for 12 years at least.
Edward says
‘After $28 billion in aid, US still can’t get Pakistan to confront jihadists’
Sure…”Since 2001 the United States has tried virtually every strategy available to persuade Pakistan’s army to take the threat of militancy more seriously, but 12 years and $28 billion in aid later, all the American approaches are widely viewed as having failed.”
The US $28 billion aid has been given, but awarded with no conditional clauses! They always welcome the aid (the bribes I meant) with no stipulations, of course! Err, “no strings attached” as they say. Oh well, there will be some stipulations voiced by the aid recipients during the negotiations….for it would be insulting to them if not allowed. This is always antagonistically demanded by the Muslims world protocol!
Here’s an exemplary result (as a warning): We give our kids unconditional love, and we see what we usually get 🙁
A suggestion to stop this worthless investments of very unstable nations, strategic or otherwise:
Mr. Robert Spencer America needs your savvy to out bid the Muslims intent for world domination. As you well know that it has been their goal to propagate their convoluted, twisting, Islamic ideology for many centuries. Will you please accept your nomination as a candidate for the 2016 Presidency! When you become our next POTUS and taking charge of the federal helm, please don’t spare the rod! You have proven that you are capable to out-debate your political opponents, as well all of heads of states and/or any foreign diplomat. The TRUTH will be America’s most reliable defense!
God Bless America! [Alpha-Omega]
Edward says
It should be said: The WORD of TRUTH will be America’s most reliable defense!
Lioness says
Wake up America! Most of the 28 billion “aid” to Pakistan goes to terrorists and the rest is stolen by corrupt politicians.