VCheng
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A snapshot then?
We can take this discussion further elsewhere, so as not to take this thread off topic.
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A snapshot then?
We can take this discussion further elsewhere, so as not to take this thread off topic.
Good idea..
Till then we have to contend with dead soldiers and whole lot of emotion.
BREAKING NEWS:
According to news sources: Pakistan has cancelled US-CENTCOM's visit to Pakistan. The delegation had to brief Pakistani authorities on Nov. 26 cross-border NATO air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
US CentCom briefing to Pakistan on NATO attack cancelled - AlertNet
That does not bode well at all.
An indian analyst commentator and former ambassador has stated:
the harsh reality is that Pakistan doesnt care. It knows that with the presidential election in the US drawing near, President Barack Obama cant escalate the war in Afghanistan. He will simply not be able to justify an increase in body bags to America.
NATO made at least two critical mistakes within 2011:
1-The OBL raid was used to publicly blackmail and humiliate Pakistan. At most, incompetence of the ISI could have been charged. But, after even Obama acknowledged Pakistan's 'cooperation' leading up to the OBL raid, other higher officials, especially Panetta, saw it fit to try the usual 'do more' mantra by blackmailing. I have seen a Senate Intelligence hearing in which poor Kerri had to calm down clueless, gung-ho Senators who wanted to take Pakistan apart.
2- The 26 November attack came at a time when Pakistanis were already in rapidly increasing defiant mood. The 'no apology' policy has effectively sealed that.
Question is: Why is Pakistan in a defiant mood now? I mean the economy is probably even worse than it was, say, in 2006. The internal security situation is much worse, for sure. The only conclusion I have reached is that Pakistani planners have (rightly) calculated that Pakistan's (and probably China's) long term regional interests are at stake should an India-US nexus dominates in Afghanistan. So, yes, better be defiant now, then to slowly bleed to death ten years later.
Of course there is a price to pay. @Vcheng is correct that international trade and money agencies are very powerful tools to punish Pakistan. But, deep down, even the Americans would know that Pakistan is not without friends, that Pakistan is not without natural resources (at least enough to survive/feed the population), and that Pakistan is very likely to full embrace China and also get much closer to Iran and Russia.
Where Pakistan stands today only a false-flag operation to completely corner Pakistan can be used to effectively punish Pakistan. Short of that-- I think Pakistan will more than survive.
Why???
US CentCom briefing to Pakistan on NATO attack cancelled
ISLAMABAD, Dec 23 (Reuters) - A briefing by the head of the U.S. Central Command to Pakistani officials on a Nov. 26 cross-border NATO air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and severely strained ties with Washington has been cancelled, a Pakistani official said on Friday.
News that General James N. Mattis' visit to Pakistan has been cancelled came a day after the United States announced that its investigation into the attack found both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for the border incident.
source: US CentCom briefing to Pakistan on NATO attack cancelled - AlertNet
does it matter anymore - whats the purpose of this briefing? - will this briefing disclose anything new? - i doubt it!!!
That does not bode well at all.
does it matter anymore - whats the purpose of this briefing? - will this briefing disclose anything new? - i doubt it!!!