ON THE EDGE IN PAKISTAN

We learn today that Pakistan’s military strong man survived another attempt on his life.

I don’t know about you, but the very idea of Mushareff’s loss is frightening to the prospect of eventual peace in the area…


The reality, however, that instead of being sensitive to the delicate nature of our relationship with Pakistan, what we find is an anti-terrorist movement that is highly dependent on Mushareff and virtually nonchalant about the dangers posed to our entire effort if Mushareff is removed from office by whatever reason.

. In other words, if Mushareff is assassinated, who will pick up the standard? Nobody….because we have not cultivated a second tier that we can do business with. In fact, it would seem that we have developed no in-depth with perhaps the most important country in the world.

Why do I say this?

Because Pakistan is not just any state, it is the pivotal state in middle east relations. And in our actions and our deeds—aside from an occasional pat on the head for Mushareff—we see little evidence of the importance of Pakistan to our Middle East policy.

The facts are that nothing can happen to the Tailiban or the Pashtoon’s support of bin Laden without the support of the Pakistanis. However, the available evidence indicates that we would have trouble rebuilding our relationship with the country if the current president is assassinated. This despite the fact that Pakistan has a strong army and is projected as having some sixty nuclear weapons….

If Pakistan is won over by the extremist Islamic movements, America’s troubles in the middle east will be multiplied.

Should this happen, the threat is much broadened directly involving India, Pakistan’s enemy and, extending to powerful countries like China and Russia. At the same time, whatever happens will not be lost on South East Asia or Iran.


As of now, Mushareff continues to walk a fine line, placating America barely while trying to keep the Pashtoon, the military and the public is some kind of delicate balance.

The fact that it has worked so long is a testament to the fact that Mushareff is no ordinary Pakistani.

The trouble is if he goes, the lid comes off.

It is like Yugoslavia with atomic weapons and no Tito…

So, we take two steps forward and one step backwards and keep our fingers crossed that we can survive if the guano hits the fan in Pakistan.

And try to rationalize the idea that American protective agencies can pull their act together.

It’s odd to think that a nation that puts 500 billion dollars into military preparedness can be so ill prepared in every way when it comes to its own future.

Perhaps the connection between the threats that we face and our political life has never been made clear to the mass of voters….

Les Aaron