A sham alliance the U.S. would be better off without. My latest in FrontPage:
Financial Times reported last week that “the Trump administration is considering dropping Pakistan as an ally as it examines tough measures to quell more than 20 terrorist groups it says are based in the country.” Here again, the President who is daily derided and ridiculed by foreign policy “experts” is right, and they are wrong: Pakistan is no ally, and has not been for years. This is a rupture that is much needed and long overdue.
President Trump has accused the Pakistani government of “housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. And it’s true, with the most notorious of these being Osama bin Laden himself. Journalist Carlotta Gall, who reported from Afghanistan for the New York Times for twelve years, reported in March 2014 that
soon after the Navy SEAL raid on Bin Laden’s house, a Pakistani official told me that the United States had direct evidence that the ISI chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, knew of Bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad. The information came from a senior United States official, and I guessed that the Americans had intercepted a phone call of Pasha’s or one about him in the days after the raid. ‘He knew of Osama’s whereabouts, yes,’ the Pakistani official told me. The official was surprised to learn this and said the Americans were even more so.
He shouldn’t have been. It had been obvious for years at that point, and remains obvious, that the Pakistanis had been aiding the same jihadists that the U.S. government has been giving them billions of dollars to fight. The New York Times reported on that at length back in 2008. Not only did Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the head of the Pakistani government’s spy service, know the whereabouts of Osama, but so did many other top officials in the Pakistani government.
Those who are genuinely surprised by this news probably also think that Islam is a Religion of Peace that has been hijacked by a Tiny Minority of Extremists. After all, this is the country where the jihad terror leader Hafiz Saeed, on whom the U.S. has placed a $10 million bounty, lives openly and comfortably. International Business Times three years ago reported in that Saeed “lives as a free man in Lahore,” even though he is “chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JUD), a parent organisation of banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET). The organization was implicated in the 2008 attacks on Mumbai in India, which claimed 166 lives.” Not only that, but “Pakistan had twice placed Saeed under house arrest since 2001, but had let him go under suspicious circumstances.” And today, “JUD operates quite visibly in parts of Pakistan, with its own website and a twitter page.” None of this has changed in the intervening period.
The Pakistani government, meanwhile, is getting U.S. money to fight terrorists. This is what they’re using it for: Sky News reported in January 2014 that “Pakistani officials have reportedly used a secret counter-terrorism fund to buy wedding gifts, luxury carpets and gold jewellery for relatives of ministers and visiting dignitaries.” This is better than funneling to the terrorists themselves the money that the Pakistani government received from the U.S. to fight terror, but it shows how seriously the Pakistani authorities have taken their role in the “war on terror”: not seriously at all. Three years have passed since these facts were revealed; the Obama administration, of course, did nothing. Trump’s apparent willingness to grasp this nettle is greatly to his credit.
For even as there was an immense political shift in the U.S. with the election of Trump, Pakistan has been, if anything, consistent. In November 2013, after Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a drone strike, the Pakistani government was furious, and summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest. The Pakistani foreign minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said the killing of Mehsud was “not just the killing of one person, it’s the death of all peace efforts” and warned that “every aspect” of Pakistan’s relationship with Washington would be reexamined.
And in the summer of 2013, Pakistan’s Abbottabad Commission, which was an investigation into the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden, denounced the United States as “arrogant” and said that the killing of bin Laden was the “greatest humiliation” that Pakistan had suffered since the 1971 declaration of independence by East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
For far too many years now, the U.S. government has been suffering from a strange addiction: an addiction to shoveling huge amounts of money to old Cold War allies that aren’t really allies at all. The end of this farce with Pakistan should have come long ago; we can only hope that Trump will follow through on his remarkably clear-sighted view of this sham ally.
Paul N Silas says
As Ronald Wilson Reagan said, “The Evil Empire”, only an expanded version. Pakistan, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, China, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.
War is coming
Hari Singh says
If someone says they believe in the prophet Muhammad and the Koran it should be assumed they are the West’s enemy and are not our well-wishers.
In the early World War II Britain locked up the Fascist of Lord Oswald Mosley and supporters of Hitler.
You can’t ride two horses with one ass either you support the Koran or you support civilization, you can’t do both and be a good Mohammedan or a good citizen.Those who deny this are like Neville Chamberlain.
JawsV says
How can Muslims ever be our allies? We’re the despised “Infidels” Muslims are required to reject as friends and protectors (Quran 5:51). We’re the “unclean filth” and “apes and swine.” Crazy to think the Allah-worshipers are allies.
Infidel001 says
They are tools to advance our geo political agenda, but somehow we came to believe they were normal human beings and got soft. The west was at it’s best when it used them as tools and thought of them as such, the minute we went soft we really went down hill. Considering that Osama Bin Laden was 500 yards or so away from their military academy and the fact that they allowed the Chinese to reverse engineer a crashed stealth helicopter of ours and the fact that version of the CIA aids the Taliban should tell you all you need to know. Sadly like most nations these days they will exploit the naive corrupted and soft west for all that it’s worth.
Infidel001 says
Their version of the CIA that is the ISI
Leo O Zakharoff says
Not sure how Trump should handle Pakistan. We have been giving Billions of foreign aid to Pakistan for years. I have been in favor of cancelling this, “so called, foreign aid” to Pakistan as well as other countries who do not support America.
The major problem, especially with Pakistan, because they have nuclear weapons, and that is the
big problem concerning everyone. Who is to say, factions of Pakistani government, could sell a
dirty bomb or two to the Jihadists? The Jihadists are anxious to get a nuclear bomb and use it on
America or Israel.
So how does America handle Pakistan and North Korea and, in the near future, Iran as well…leo
Westman says
The West has avoided a solution to the threat of these countries because it would not result in, “Guns N’ Butter’; that is, the economy would be impacted during large-scale war. The economic engines, fueled by cheap energy and cheap labor, are the sacred cows that must not be disturbed; certainly not for any moral reason. Buying time through “diplomacy”, aid (bribes), and alliances to extend the generation of wealth, until the impending problems are no longer avoidable, has become de rigueur.
The only real solutions are unthinkable for liberals and avoided by the wealthy elite. Under Obama, I only expected toothless, cowardly, reactions until another 9/11, or, worse. Will the Trump administration be allowed to take action?
Chand says
Leo O Zakharoff says: “The major problem, especially with Pakistan, because they have nuclear weapons, and that is the
big problem concerning everyone. Who is to say, factions of Pakistani government, could sell a
dirty bomb or two to the Jihadists?”
Yes, Leo, that is the main problem. With no solution in sight.
And the problem is not only about ‘selling’ nukes to the Jihadis. I’m sure there are sympathizers of global jihad in their army, surely in their ISI (secret service) and even among the technical handlers of the nukes………….the engineers, controllers of the button, etc.
And I don’t the nukes pose as much of a threat to the States or Israel (with her own robust defensive shield) as they do to India, Afghanistan and Iran (which is Shia and a mortal threat to the Sunni Jihadis). But nuclear war will affect all, of course.
This whole Pakistan and Islamic Jihad problem is an unfortunate consequence of the Cold War, which the West had won.
Pakistan itself is a result of the British ‘divide and rule’ policies in South Asia, which tore that land apart during Partition. Jinnah, a lover of Scotch whiskey and cigars, created this Pure Land (Pak means pure) for Muslims and that itself is an illusion as Islamic customs and traditions are as varied as the ethnic groups, tribes, languages, etc. in Pakistan. The various ethnic groups never really united and the Baluchis, Kashmiris, Sindhis, Pashtuns, Muhajirs (immigrants from India) and others are dominated and oppressed by the most powerful group, the Punjabis.
The US poured money onto Pakistan and the Mujahideen fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. The USSR probably had planned to destroy Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan after taming Afghanistan but failed, thanks to the West’s help to the Mujahideen.
And don’t tell me that the Western powers were ignorant of the complicity of the Paki establishment, espcially it’s ISI, in jihadi terrorism worldwide, especially in Afghanistan and India. This was an open secret for more than a decade and a half now. But nothing was done.
But why not?
False promises were made by the Pakis, the world believed them; Saudi Arabia continues to support, prop up and aid Pakistan massively and no one could do anything about it as they have business interests with the Saudis; Pakistani civilians themselves became victims of sustained terrorism there and gained the world’s sympathy; the States did not want a new war; etc.
Anyway, that’s the past. What about the nukes now?
Don’t think any concerted UN action will happen with China, her ‘all weather friend’, in the Security Council. A coalition of the willing might need to descend on Pakistan, de-fang the Jihadis and secure the Nuke facilities.
Or take them out? Like Israel would have done, perhaps? But maybe the Pakis have already incorporated nukes into conventional artillery and a few might slip through and land on Indian cities! Of course that would trigger a massive Indian response but a nuclear Armageddon there is certainly not wished for anywhere by anyone.
This is a huge ‘damned if you do-damned if you don’t situation’.
Should Pakistan be invaded to secure the nukes or does one let this slide on and trust the completely devious and untrustworthy guys in power there?
I’m waiting to see the US back up its words with actions on Pakistan. But all kinds of pressures on Pakistan is welcome.
The Rationalvoice says
I have long said that the West should stop involving themselves in the crazy Islamic world.Now people in Yemen are crying out to the civilized world for intervention in their abject misery and suffering.
This war is just another manifestation of the Sunni/Shiite struggle and tribal hatreds of a lunatic religion called Islam which we cannot solve for sure and involves a rogue state Iran and the heart of Islam and “ally” of the West Saudi Arabia. Its another “no win” can of worms except for the arms dealers of death and destruction mostly based in the West !!
Chand says
Rationalvoice says:” I have long said that the West should stop involving themselves in the crazy Islamic world.”
Ya, Sounds right.
But it is too late now, ain’t it?
The West got involved during the Cold War, aiding the Afghan Mujahideen, who were also helped by the rich Arabs, who got rich by selling oil to the West.
They got involved a second time when Bush Jr. invaded Iraq, when the main Jihadi problem was emanating from Pakistan and her godmother Saudi Arabia. A Shia-Sunni conflict was unleashed with the consequent growth spurt of the most foul and evil face of Islam: Sunni Salafi Wahabbism, as a result of the Shia oppression of the Sunnis in Iraq and Syria. This spread to Yemen.
mortimer says
They hid Bin Laden next to the Pakistan military academy and lied about it repeatedly. They allow Islamic terrorists to easily cross the Afghan border. They allowed Islamic terrorist to attack Mumbai and did nothing to prosecute them or extradite them to India to stand trial. Pakistan could have stop the insurgency in Afghastlistan, but they have encouraged it instead.
Infidel001 says
Don’t forget the Pakistani ISI which is like their version of the CIA and NSA rolled into one aids the Taliban, and they even allowed the Chinese to reverse engineer a crashed U.S stealth helicopter. Pakistan is no ally of ours. I’m guessing we are concerned that they may ally themselves with the Chinese axis. The fact they already let China reverse engineer our stealth helicopter and the fact the ISI aids the Taliban should tell us all we need to know.
luke says
Or the US can try to use china to pressure the pakis to be more serious combating jihadis? (China did not support jihad)
John A. Marre says
No surprise. They are Muslims. Giving money to Muslims is like shooting oneself.
Expat88 says
Not to mention all the human rights abuses that Pakistan does against other religions rather than Islam. Accusing anybody arbitrarily of blasphemy and persecuting minorities and non-muslims. They are not our friends and they are not the friends of free or civilized Nations.
gravenimage says
Yes–we give them money and they violently oppress Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and women.
Westman says
Has anyone considered the taxi-wars that could come from dropping Pakistan as an ally?
Paki taxi drivers already hurl insults at Indian cabbies in Chicago and New York City. Dropping Pakistan as an ally would entail improving cooperation with India – sure to inflame the Paki drivers.
Will a passenger saying anything positive about India result in the “ride from hell”?
utis says
Pakistan is not an ally. We pay it in return for almost no reciprocation. They protect our outright enemies, and are probably ready to turn on a dime and slaughter us. Why any American official be surprised annoys me. Collusion, willful ignorance, or just stupidity are the only things that explain this “surprise” (in the best scenario, the surprise is just a cover for other reasons). Americans are just too damn ignorant about history. History is flooded with bad allies, treacherous allies and weak allies. I think we have more in common with India than with any muslim state. India should be solidly in front of the ally line before any muslim “ally.”
As for “cab wars,” psychotics shouldn’t be driving anyway, certainly not for a living. If you don’t have self-control, you shouldn’t be controlling a vehicle. Besides, I thought islam was a religion of peace and tolerance of diversity [cue maniacal laughter].
Geoffrey Britain says
Leo above puts his finger on the issue. We’ve NEVER paid the Pakistanis even a dime to fight the Taliban. That’s pablum for the rubes. We’ve been paying the Pakistanis BLACKMAIL money NOT to spread nuclear weapons to other hostile regimes and NOT to give nukes to terrorist groups.
Cut off the blackmail money and it’s a certainty that the Pakistanis will start handing out nukes. If we cut off the money, the ONLY way to stop the Pakistanis from spreading nukes around is to make total war upon them, which our internal left will NOT allow to happen. Our problem isn’t the Pakistanis or the Taliban or Iran or ISIS or al Qaeda. Our PROBLEM is the American and international LEFT which is preventing any effective measures from being taken against our external enemies. The Left is by far the greatest threat that liberty faces.
Infidel says
HEAR HEAR
Jack Diamond says
Pakistan created the Taliban (so it is not going to fight them), and supported them on those American dimes ($4 billion worth of dimes 1982-1990). Pakistan developed the “Islamic bomb”, a result of theft, from secrets stolen from the West by A.Q. Khan; and deceit, pursuing nuclear weapons in violation of all agreements with the USA for continued aid. Then it peddled those secrets to the likes of North Korea, Iran, and Libya. The horse has left the barn, they already did all those things despite being paid “blackmail.”
TopDrifter says
Pakistan has been getting billions of dollars from the USA for what, I don’t know but that money will be better utilized right here in the USA to resettle those Americans that lost everything in the horrible Storms that hit our country this year (and the season isn’t over yet). Pakistan has a place in the World Community because it has Nuclear Weapons but the country itself is as backward as Afghanistan, a dirt poor population that live in an oil rich country that only serves it’s bloated rulers. Dropping them from our Allies list is a wise decision, I only hope we don’t have to send troops over there to help those destitute people. Pakistan should be put with the “Axis of Evil” and treated with hostility.
TopDrifter
Infidel says
They are HABITUAL liars. We Indians know them too well.. Smooth talkers but will dig the ground right under ur feet and laugh about ur misery.. They are the WORST of Humanity. Even cannibals in the Amazons have some code of honor..
I wonder about leftists says
It’s always the same. Countries pay up, because they are blackmailed. That is why you always have to keep to the truth, so NOBODY can blackmail you. And those big sums of money are payed from the taxpayers money. nice deal, And countries know by now, that they can always go to the limit and use the nukes for blackmail, so they will go further and further. And now you will have to pay money, otherwise the indian and pakistani taxi drivers will clash with each other in New York? Isn’t that the craziest thing?, but Geoffrey Britain is right. The big problem are the american and western countries leftists. We have all seen it, and at a certain point they will feel it themselves. Do they want to be the cuddle’s peacelovers or are they cowards? I am the biggest peacelover myself, but this is so crazy and the atrocities so crazy and taken away the freedom of speech, so crazy, I sometimes think, is this the civilised world of today? I s born on the wrong planet, I think, this beautiful world is covered by mentally disturbed people, who if we are not careful will be destroyed by them. The bad thing for us is, that we have to suffer with them, and we warned them for years. Good luck Sharia people!
mortimer says
Pakistan’s three major problems are 1) their education system which promotes jihad, religious fanaticism and low educational standards 2) the Pakistan military’s sympathy for jihadists 3) the government’s horrible human rights record. The three are related.
The Islamic constitution of Pakistan enshrines bigotry, intolerance and persecution. The US and other countries need to demand changes to the Pakistan laws and policies to bring them in line with MODERN HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS… If not, then CUT THESE PRIMITIVE SAVAGES OFF THE GRAVY TRAIN!
gravenimage says
Mortimer, Pakistan’s problem *is Islam*.
Jack Diamond says
Pakistani journallist Ansar Abbasi to Judith McHale, U.S. Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, August 21, 2009 (New York Times):
“You should know that we hate all Americans. From the bottom of our souls, we hate you.”
“Pakistan should never have existed, it has cost more lives than the whole of the British Army in 200 years…what should I think of a culture that burns down the British Council Library in Lahore because an English publisher printed a picture of Mahomet? Fanaticism plus Machiavellianism plus brutality equals Islamic Pakistan.”
—-David McCutchion, Indian scholar d. 1972
Infidel001 says
More proof that naive idealism gets people killed and creates chaos. That’s the problem with naive idealism you may feel good for a time, but it leaves a bad after taste.
Ciudadano says
“an addiction to shoveling huge amounts of money to old Cold War allies that aren’t really allies at all”
That’s a great insight. Is USA’s geopolicy stuck in Cold War times? maybe that’s anacronic geopolitics is convenient to weapons industry?
Infidel001 says
Our grand Machiavellian schemers think they are buying something sadly. You’d think after Pakistan allowing China to reverse engineer a crashed stealth helicopter and Osama being 500 yards away from their military academy things would be clear. At this point in time I’m unsure what our money is supposed to buy. My guess is we are either afraid they will aid the Taliban more than they already are, spread more nuke technology around, or get deeper into bed with China. On all three accounts Pakistan seems to be doing a bang up job. Then again it’s only money, I’m sure the powers that be can always print some more and suffer very little effects for now anyway, as recent developments are showing this may not always be the case.
gravenimage says
We so often are “fighting the last war”. It is myopia and laziness, not something deliberately nefarious.
PRCS says
Have been watching “The Vietnam War” on PBS.
Last night:
LBJ, having been provided inconsistent, contradictory guidance from his advisors, was finally told that the 1966 version of “the plan” wasn’t working.
He asked, why wasn’t I told about this?
To which he was told (not an exact quote, here), “because you didn’t ask”.
I really don’t think “not asking” has been, or remains the case with Pakistan.
gravenimage says
Robert Spencer: Trump Is Right — Pakistan Is No Ally
……………..
Hear, hear!
Proud Anti-Islam says
USA and all other democratic countries need to stop relations with Muslim countries, forever. Never trust Muslims.