US’s decade-long Pakistan strategy has failed, says Robert Blackwill

[SpArK]

US’s decade-long Pakistan strategy has failed, says Robert Blackwill​

The US’s strategy towards Pakistan over the past decade, which involves providing it economic and military help in a bid to influence its behaviour, has failed, said Robert Blackwill, a former U.S. ambassador to India, on Monday. For that reason, this is a very good time for the US to reconsider


its strategy towards Pakistan, he said, during a talk titled ‘Does India have a grand strategy?’ in south Mumbai. India should evolve a sophisticated alternative for the U.S. instead of merely offering it “bumper-sticker advice” that it should just “give Pakistan an ultimatum.”


Indeed, while India had strategies to deal with most of its vital national interests, such as bringing the masses out of poverty and dealing with internal security threats, it did not have a grand strategy to “diminish the terrorist threat emanating from Pakistan," he said.

Blackwill defined a “grand strategy” as “the art of pursuing national goals in way that improves a nation’s ability to shape and cope with the conditions of an ever-changing international environment.”



“Pakistan has used terrorism as an instrument of policy against India for twenty years to try to press India into flexibility over Kashmir,” said Blackwill, a long-standing pro-India diplomat.

“An objective observer would say that this has not succeeded. Yet cross-border terrorist infiltration continues from Pakistan… It remains to be seen whether this twenty-year display of extraordinary restraint by India is going to continue.”

In contrast with its strategy towards Pakistan, India does have grand strategies towards the U.S. and China, he said. India’s decade-long, two-pronged grand strategy towards the US is to develop ever-closer ties while maintaining ITS freedom of action in the global arena.


“It’s working, despite the challenges,” he said, adding that disagreements over the future of Afghanistan, how to deal with China and outsourcing were just blips in an otherwise ever-deepening relationship. With respect to China, India tries to promote a positive, long-term relationship with Beijing, while hedging against a less than positive response, he said.



But both New Delhi and Washington are struggling over almost 18 months to develop a more aggressive set of policies in response to China’s various actions. For India, there was undoubtedly a “negative trend” in China’s treatment of border issues and Kashmir, he said.



US?s decade-long Pakistan strategy has failed, says Robert Blackwill - Hindustan Times

 

[Spring Onion]

Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam , ME you name it and they have failed strategies so whats new about another one.

And oh BTW black Will and that too ex-dumbassador to india gosh what a combination

 

[hecj]

wat u.s have given to world? just DESTRUCTION!!!!!!

 

[uncanny]

EX... but still he speaks the same

 

[Omar1984]

Nixon once said that every ambassador who goes over to india, goes over there and gets sucked in.




BBC NEWS | South Asia | Nixon's dislike of 'witch' Indira

 

[muse]

this is a very good time for the US to reconsider

From Blackwill's lips to US policy makers.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

"Nixon once said that every ambassador who goes over to india, goes over there and gets sucked in. "

^
What can India do if every US Ambassador who comes in is a RAW diplomat; then gets "sucked in" and becomes a "seasoned US diplomat".
May be the Americans are unable to train their diplomat well enough ? Or is it something else ?

 

[Capt.Popeye]

"From Blackwill's lips to US policy makers. "

@ Muse,
Taking Blackwill's current utterances as above, as well as in the interview video that appeared on another thread here (on this forum), can one deduce that the Americans are cooking up some new 'stew'.

 

[aristocrat]

So which part of the post do my friends here disagree with???For me he was spot on.

 

[muse]

can one deduce that the Americans are cooking up some new 'stew'.

No, Mr. Blackwill does not speak for the dept of State, he does not need to, they do their own speaking.

But also to be fair, Mr. Blackwill is cut from the Necon cloth, he's true believer - and he's spot on about Pakistan and the US failure - I do take his caveat about how much longer India may exercise restraint, with a pinch of salt, though, it's like asking how much longer India may continue to breathe.

Pakistan may not be able to define or assert her interests with regard to the US, but she has been pretty clear about her red lines with India.

 

[5link]

No, Mr. Blackwill does not speak for the dept of State, he does not need to, they do their own speaking.

But also to be fair, Mr. Blackwill is cut from the Necon cloth, he's true believer - and he's spot on about Pakistan and the US failure - I do take his caveat about how much longer India may exercise restraint, with a pinch of salt, though, it's like asking how much longer India may continue to breathe.

Pakistan may not be able to define or assert her interests with regard to the US, but she has been pretty clear about her red lines with India.

United States doesn't want either Pakistan or India to dominate over one another. It is very hostile towards dealing with powers with wide influence over a certain region. So I think its going to continue to play manipulate Pakistan and India by giving both of them sufficient intelligence and know how to avert any threats that directly threatens their borders and commercial interests. This way it can keep them both in balance without having to deal with a single entity.

 

[Bang Galore]

Blackwill suggests military retaliation to counter Pakistan's cross-border terrorism

As the 26/11 Mumbai attacks still haunting the nation, former U.S. Ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill has advised India to employ military reprisal against Pakistan to counter cross-border terrorism.

"Threatened military reprisal, this grand strategy would make it unambiguously clear to the Pakistan military that if another iconic Indian target is attacked by terrorists based in Pakistan that the Indian military would destroy important Pakistan military assets. I stress that, not bomb empty terrorist camps but attack Pakistan military assets." Blackwill said.

Blackwill, who addressed a talk on 'Does India have a Grand Strategy' in Mumbai, defined the grand strategy as the art of pursuing national goals in a way that improves a nation's ability to shape and cope with the conditions of an ever-changing international environment.

He stated that infiltration from the Pakistani side has been on since the past twenty years and this killed 166 people in November 2008; it was high time India retaliated with harsh words.

Speaking about the frequently raised question on why the U.S. fails to give an ultimatum to Pakistan against militancy originating from their land, Blackwill said that time has come for U.S. to reconsider its strategy towards Pakistan.

"Do we want a Pakistan that is uninfluenced essentially by the United States and the outside world? So, it is a dilemma. I was on record when I was here as Ambassador and have a sense that the United States should put more pressure on Pakistan in this regard but I don't want to make it sound as if it is easy," he added.

"It is not easy and so the Pakistan military has been able through at least three American administrations to avoid responding to that pressure," he said.

For India, security has always been its top priority. India has also refused to resume the Composite Dialogue Process until Pakistan takes credible action against the militant groups based in Pakistan. (ANI)

Blackwill suggests military retaliation to counter Pakistan's cross-border terrorism

 

[Leviza]

"Threatened military reprisal, this grand strategy would make it unambiguously clear to the Pakistan military that if another iconic Indian target is attacked by terrorists based in Pakistan that the Indian military would destroy important Pakistan military assets. I stress that, not bomb empty terrorist camps but attack Pakistan military assets." Blackwill said.

What he think of Pak Army? Pakistan in return can distory India's military assets and then where these American stand?????

They just want India and Pakistan to fight so that they can sell more weapons ...

soon they will know thier fate in Afghanistan..................

 

[ek_indian]

What he think of Pak Army? Pakistan in return can distory India's military assets and then where these American stand?????

They just want India and Pakistan to fight so that they can sell more weapons ...

soon they will know thier fate in Afghanistan..................

Thank you. Now please get back to topic.

 

[ek_indian]

Seems some members are pissed off.

Anyways, India can not go on path which Mr. Blackwill suggested. We have different (needless to say independent) foreign policy and national interests. So our politicians are not bending in front of USA or anyone else for that matter.

If by adopting grand strategy means towing USA lines, then we are thankfully good by our own.

But both New Delhi and Washington are struggling over almost 18 months to develop a more aggressive set of policies in response to China’s various actions. For India, there was undoubtedly a “negative trend” in China’s treatment of border issues and Kashmir, he said.

Again shows India has independent foreign policy. We are not agreeing on everything USA says.