muse
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Tsucalas is an idiot.
Capital suggestion
What does America want?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Dr Farrukh Saleem
America is no one's friend and no one's foe. America has either common interests with other countries or its interests clash with other countries. America is neither our friend nor our foe. America has common interests with Pakistan in many areas and then there are areas where America's and Pakistan's interests clash.
What is America? A total of 50 states plus District of Columbia, 9.16 million square kilometres of land and 19,924 kilometres of coastline. A total of 307 million Americans producing more than $14 trillion worth of goods and services; less than five per cent of the global population producing some 25 per cent of global GDP. Reason for America's economic success: America is 50 states that vigorously trade with each other under an absolute free-trade regime.
What does America want? Two things: America wants to maintain its economic domination. Second, America wants to preserve its military hegemony.
What is America's national defence strategy? In the north is Canada and Canada isn't a threat. In the south is Mexico and Mexico isn't a threat. In the east and the west are the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, respectively. In order to protect its coastlines, America has over the years invested trillions to become the world's premier naval power. The US navy controls all major sea lanes and operates 283 ships in active service plus 11 Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered super-carriers (an additional super-carrier is under construction). The US navy has some 3,700 fixed and rotary wing aircraft and its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined (imagine, Admiral Kuznetsov with steam turbines and eight turbo-pressurised boilers is Russia's only in-service aircraft carrier).
What are America's vulnerabilities? One, a terrorist attack on the mainland. Two, a nuclear attack on the mainland.
Yes, America is vulnerable. The Mississippi River, for instance, originates out of Lake Itasca (north-western Minnesota), dividing the United States into two halves, travels south for some 3,770 kilometres into the Gulf of Mexico. Free trade between the eastern and the western US the secret to America's economic success -- must cross the Mississippi River -- that means only a handful of bridges and rail links. And, that means vulnerabilities, both terrorist and nuclear.
What is America's foreign policy all about? Four things: first, to pre-empt a terrorist attack on the mainland. Second, to pre-empt a nuclear attack on the mainland. Three, to maintain America's economic domination. Four, to preserve America's military hegemony.
What is America's defence budget? There are 192 member-states of the United Nations and of the 192 America spends in excess of $500 billion a year on defence while the remaining 191 collectively spend around $500 billion a year.
How does America project power? The US navy's 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, nine Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESG) and the US army's 33 Combat Brigade Teams (CBT). These are America's tools to project American power way beyond America's shores.
What does America want from Pakistan? Answer: not much different from what America wants from the rest of the world. America wants to pre-empt any terrorist attack originating from Pakistan. And, America wants to preserve its military hegemony.
An even more important question is: what does Pakistan want from America? Pakistan is literally on fire and our understanding of fire chemistry is limited. America can teach us the science of extinguishment.
Does America want our bomb? Why would it; America has 5,400 active nuclear warheads of its own. Is our bomb a threat to America? Well, New York is 11,089 km away from Islamabad and all we have is Hatfs, Shaheens and Ghauris none of which can reach New York. Does America want to destabilise Pakistan? Well, if America wanted to destabilise Pakistan General Petraeus didn't have to pursue the IMF into lending Pakistan $7.6 billion. If America wanted to destabilise Pakistan America didn't have to pursue the Friends of Pakistan consortium into pledging $5.5 billion for Pakistan. If America wanted to destabilise Pakistan Senators Kerry and Lugar didn't have to go out of their ways to pledge $7.5 billion for Pakistan.
We must be honest with ourselves. No one is conspiring against us. No one is trying to break Pakistan. All we have got to do is to put our house in order -- and no one else would do it for us.
The writer is the executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Email: farrukh15@hotmail.com
Capital suggestion
What does America want?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Dr Farrukh Saleem
America is no one's friend and no one's foe. America has either common interests with other countries or its interests clash with other countries. America is neither our friend nor our foe. America has common interests with Pakistan in many areas and then there are areas where America's and Pakistan's interests clash.
What is America? A total of 50 states plus District of Columbia, 9.16 million square kilometres of land and 19,924 kilometres of coastline. A total of 307 million Americans producing more than $14 trillion worth of goods and services; less than five per cent of the global population producing some 25 per cent of global GDP. Reason for America's economic success: America is 50 states that vigorously trade with each other under an absolute free-trade regime.
What does America want? Two things: America wants to maintain its economic domination. Second, America wants to preserve its military hegemony.
What is America's national defence strategy? In the north is Canada and Canada isn't a threat. In the south is Mexico and Mexico isn't a threat. In the east and the west are the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, respectively. In order to protect its coastlines, America has over the years invested trillions to become the world's premier naval power. The US navy controls all major sea lanes and operates 283 ships in active service plus 11 Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered super-carriers (an additional super-carrier is under construction). The US navy has some 3,700 fixed and rotary wing aircraft and its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined (imagine, Admiral Kuznetsov with steam turbines and eight turbo-pressurised boilers is Russia's only in-service aircraft carrier).
What are America's vulnerabilities? One, a terrorist attack on the mainland. Two, a nuclear attack on the mainland.
Yes, America is vulnerable. The Mississippi River, for instance, originates out of Lake Itasca (north-western Minnesota), dividing the United States into two halves, travels south for some 3,770 kilometres into the Gulf of Mexico. Free trade between the eastern and the western US the secret to America's economic success -- must cross the Mississippi River -- that means only a handful of bridges and rail links. And, that means vulnerabilities, both terrorist and nuclear.
What is America's foreign policy all about? Four things: first, to pre-empt a terrorist attack on the mainland. Second, to pre-empt a nuclear attack on the mainland. Three, to maintain America's economic domination. Four, to preserve America's military hegemony.
What is America's defence budget? There are 192 member-states of the United Nations and of the 192 America spends in excess of $500 billion a year on defence while the remaining 191 collectively spend around $500 billion a year.
How does America project power? The US navy's 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, nine Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESG) and the US army's 33 Combat Brigade Teams (CBT). These are America's tools to project American power way beyond America's shores.
What does America want from Pakistan? Answer: not much different from what America wants from the rest of the world. America wants to pre-empt any terrorist attack originating from Pakistan. And, America wants to preserve its military hegemony.
An even more important question is: what does Pakistan want from America? Pakistan is literally on fire and our understanding of fire chemistry is limited. America can teach us the science of extinguishment.
Does America want our bomb? Why would it; America has 5,400 active nuclear warheads of its own. Is our bomb a threat to America? Well, New York is 11,089 km away from Islamabad and all we have is Hatfs, Shaheens and Ghauris none of which can reach New York. Does America want to destabilise Pakistan? Well, if America wanted to destabilise Pakistan General Petraeus didn't have to pursue the IMF into lending Pakistan $7.6 billion. If America wanted to destabilise Pakistan America didn't have to pursue the Friends of Pakistan consortium into pledging $5.5 billion for Pakistan. If America wanted to destabilise Pakistan Senators Kerry and Lugar didn't have to go out of their ways to pledge $7.5 billion for Pakistan.
We must be honest with ourselves. No one is conspiring against us. No one is trying to break Pakistan. All we have got to do is to put our house in order -- and no one else would do it for us.
The writer is the executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Email: farrukh15@hotmail.com
