Obama doesn't have mental problems and McCain does i will trust Obama to end this invasion of Pakistan not McCain .
On Oct 3, 4:17 am, Frank <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > And who is going to stop this escalation? Not Obama, he agrees with > it. > > mike532 [ Republicans for Obama ] wrote: > > > > > Pakistan, United States: Brink of War? > > >http://www.truthout.org/article/mustafa-qadri-pakistan-united-states-... > > The US steps up border raids into Pakistan, creating a game of > > brinkmanship between troops from both countries. (Photo: Anjum > > Naveed / AP) > > As the United States steps up border raids into Pakistan, troops > > from both countries have commenced a deadly game of brinksmanship. > > Although aimed at asserting each other's military presence along the > > Pakistan-Afghan border, the skirmishes risk outright hostilities. > > > U.S. strikes in Pakistan are nothing new. Washington has conducted > > unilateral missile strikes since soon after its invasion of > > Afghanistan in October 2001. American pilotless surveillance planes > > have been flying over the restive border with near impunity for much > > the same time. > > > From Air to Ground > > > But the tone of the U.S. presence changed this year. In July, > > President George W. Bush approved covert ground raids into suspected > > militant hideouts in the Waziristan region of Pakistan, much of which > > is a Taliban stronghold. Militants use the region as a sanctuary from > > which to strike foreign and Afghan troops in neighboring Afghanistan. > > Thus far, U.S. forces attempted at least three ground assaults. The > > only confirmed ground invasion of Pakistan, on September 3, led to the > > deaths of around 20 civilians, including women and children. No > > militant leaders were believed captured or killed in the raid. > > > This ground assault led to unprecedented rhetoric from Pakistan > > condemning the United States. Even Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq > > Kayani, normally quite evasive with the media, said that the Army > > would defend Pakistan's territory. The Pakistani government summoned > > the U.S. ambassador to the foreign office and blocked NATO supplies > > vital to the multinational force's continued operation in Afghanistan. > > > Pakistan averted two other attempted ground raids when its border > > forces fired warning shots at U.S. helicopters ferrying commandos into > > Waziristan. On the most recent occasion, Pakistan and U.S. troops > > exchanged fire for five minutes. Pakistan s government later claimed > > that its army fired flares, not bullets, at the helicopters, but this > > explanation did not sound very convincing. > > > Ostensibly, Washington fears that Waziristan - and other tribal > > regions - could become a staging area for further attacks on the > > United States if the Pakistani army doesn t root out pro-Taliban > > forces. But Washington doubts whether Islamabad is capable of doing > > the job. > > > More broadly, U.S. policy in the region is increasingly shaped by > > its failure to establish unequivocal dominance in Iraq. With the War > > on Terror overshadowing U.S. foreign policy for the foreseeable > > future, the next U.S. president will have to deliver victory in some > > form to a skeptical public. That is the ultimate legacy of the > > September 11 hijackers, and the Bush administration. > > > The Next Target > > > That victory will most likely not come out of the violence and > > political mess of Iraq. Although the Bush administration and both > > presidential candidates support a significant, continued military > > presence in Iraq, the United States has accepted that it can t control > > the entire country by direct military force. It may have had some > > success in marginalizing al-Qaeda in Iraq - after initially spurring > > its growth - but it has also been forced to accept Shia domination of > > domestic politics. > > > Iran was seriously mooted as the next frontline and even now > > experiences tremendous diplomatic pressure from Washington. But it s > > difficult for the United States to promote the Shia state as the next > > front in the War on Terror, however much Israel or its lobby in the > > United States may favor this path. Iran doesn t pose an immediate > > threat, nor would it afford a quick and easy military campaign. > > Rather, war with Iran would almost certainly lead to a severe > > disruption of global energy supplies and the world economy. > > > Pakistan, in comparison, is an irresistible target. The United > > States claims to have evidence that the government supports jihadis > > that wage war against the United States and NATO in Afghanistan. Even > > a limited, covert war, directed at militants, not the Pakistan Army, > > is arguably the easiest sell the United States has ever had to make > > since the 1990 war with Iraq. The only factor preventing all-out > > conflict is Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. > > > Escalation > > > U.S. raids and missile strikes may be an attempt to see how far it > > can go with Pakistan. After Pervez Musharraf stepped down as > > president, the United States felt uninhibited by the concern that its > > Pakistan interventions were impairing a staunch ally. There have been > > as many missile strikes this year as in the previous seven. > > > Pakistan has engaged in loud rhetoric decrying the attacks and > > asserted it won t tolerate intrusions into its territory. Strong > > public criticism was inevitable to placate a population deeply > > resentful of the U.S. presence in the region. Both civilian and > > military leaders have to guard against forces, such as rival > > politicians or upstart officers, using the crisis to leverage power. > > > Even internationally, if Pakistan hadn t condemned the U.S. > > attacks, it would have tacitly acknowledged that it can t address the > > militant problem on its own. That would be an open invitation to more > > interference from foreign armies and, potentially down the road, > > international isolation as a failed state. > > > Pakistan, as it currently exists, relies on U.S. patronage for its > > survival. There s very little it can do if the United States decides > > to step up its military presence in Pakistan. According to the State > > Department, the United States has given Pakistan $2.4 billion in > > "security assistance" and $3.4 billion in economic assistance over the > > past seven years. Pakistan has obtained a raft of loans and credits > > from international financial institutions like the World Bank and the > > Asian Development Bank since its rehabilitation by the United States > > after September 11. > > > Despite the cold-headed realism, there s a real danger that future > > confrontations between Pakistan and U.S. troops could escalate into > > outright hostilities. The Pakistani army s rank-and-file is deeply > > uneasy about military operations that have killed several thousand > > fellow citizens and Muslims at the behest of Washington, not > > Islamabad. Pakistan border posts may welcome any future U.S. intrusion > > into Pakistan as an opportunity to assert their country's > > independence. > > > U.S. and NATO commanders in Afghanistan also resent what they see > > as Pakistan's unwillingness to stop militants from attacking their > > troops from hideouts in Pakistan. U.S. Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright > > recently told Congress that 30-40% of the attacks in Afghanistan come > > from Pakistan, an increasing proportion. American commanders may not > > need much persuasion to fire on Pakistani forces if they are seen to > > be getting in the way of militant targets. Even a standoff could > > accidentally escalate into all-out hostilities. > > > If substantial casualties ensue, Islamabad and Washington might be > > hard-pressed to soothe popular calls for revenge. > > > ---------- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
