Petraeus, Boucher visit Pakistan

[roadrunner]

Pakistanis are desperate to reject Aid, and this is what our politicians promise. However, their greed, and the West's opportunism always seems to hold sway.

Your Aid ain't worth shite, and I'd like to push it back down your throats.

True, I think the average Pakistani feels the same. They don't see it anyhow.

 

[S-2]

Ahmed Rashid just wrote an article posted here accusing Americans of being ignorant and compliant citizens too eager to follow our leaders.

Silly us, it's a representative democracy for which we've voted these men and women to this purpose-lead. Actually makes me wonder more about his grasp of basic civics but that's a separate issue for the likes of you.

Those are your leaders who evidently don't reflect your views. What you do about it is up to you but compliant and ignorant you must not be, correct? Gather open petitions to reject American aid and present the names of millions to your nat'l assembly. Hundreds, and thousands they can ignore. Not millions.

Make it known with a march on Islamabad. This is one march that would NEVER be attacked by the militants.

Talk to the Chinese. Explain that you're looking for roughly $10B over the next five years to replace ours and that you really expect this in order to keep islamic fundamentalism from reaching either their far west or your nukes.

Explain that as friends it must be AID and not a loan and that it must come from fraternal hands and without caveat.

We'll watch with interest.

Thanks.

 

[DarkStar]

most Aid is loan..you seriously believe that the aid money is a grant? no sir...its NOT.

 

[Torpedo]

You guys keep acting in a condescending manner, and lording it over us for teh sake of a few measly Aid dollars.

The amount of 'Aid' pakistan has received (actually loans, with interest charged) has been of such inconsequential value, that even giving it back will hardly affect us, since it hasn't benefited us in the first place.

Pakistanis are desperate to reject Aid, and this is what our politicians promise. However, their greed, and the West's opportunism always seems to hold sway.

Your Aid ain't worth shite, and I'd like to push it back down your throats.

You are over-estimating Pakistan's economy. Pakistan can certainly survive (and even do better, in broad sense) without US aid. But claiming that it won't affect you? You stretched it too far.

 

[S-2]

"most Aid is loan..you seriously believe that the aid money is a grant? no sir...its NOT."

I took a look and I agree based on 1994 data which was the best I saw off-hand grants had risen from about 12% of aid to around 25% per the Library of Congress Country studies. As the overall aid in this period was minimal, it probably isn't fair to identify any trend.

How aid measures out now, I'm less certain. CSF funding should end as it's a drain to your reserves while awaiting payment from us that must be audited with greater scrutiny. Whether a wash or not, the cost in interest to you would need to be calculated to assure it was so.

Too, if your war, then you should fight it-whatever your costs. We'll help if we can and where it's appropriate. FATA, as example. We've allocated $750m to it's development. In all seriousness, it's impossible to deliver that aid.

It should be redirected for that reason as well as assisting those areas that still might be made resistant by development activities. If that means the Punjab and Sindh, so be it. I was opposed to this as late as a week ago but I think events are outpacing our actions.

I'll see what else I might find. I know that Lawrence Korb indicated recently that we've 25 agencies contributing to programs in Pakistan.

That's unruly.

Sadly, I worry if any of this really matters. Oh!...

...Thanks.