A Line in the Sand

Since the beginning of the war on terror, the United States government has given millions of dollars & military aid to Pakistan. For all we have given, we have asked for Pakistani military assistance against religious extremeists on the run within their border or access to the Pakistani border for our troops. Time & again, we have been denied these small favors by former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf. Mr. Musharraf always had a good reason to deny us access or assistance. Pakistan, by its Islamic nature, is as succeptable to attacks from these organizations as a non-Muslim nation. One need only remember political assassinations in Egypt & Algeria to see evidence of extremism affecting Islamic nations as well. Foreign policy, in the end, is a carrot & stick game used to encourage & discourage actions by other nations on the world stage. Nations & leaders will make decisions that bring them positive outcomes, with overall goals of stability & control. Lack of public support in Pakistan for U.S. policy can be viewed in many ways. Only by working to change this perception can we hope to attain our goals of better cooperation & regional stability.

We are fighting a war against Islamic idealists. Iraq & Afghanistan are both nations with large Muslim populations. I've heard soldiers returning from the front referring to the war on terror as a "holy war". Pakistan is a nation defined by its religion, from the day of its liberation from England. If the war on terror is perceived as a war on Islam in general, as it often is outside our border, combatting negative perception of the United States within Pakistan borders on the impossible. While there are many ways to change that perception, substantive solutions would be a welcome change to endless positioning statements.

One of Pakistan's biggest problems is the constant conflict in Kashmir. Religious violence has once again resumed in the region, sparked by pro-independence protests, pitting Muslims against Hindus. Since the drawing of the line in the sand in Kashmir, the religious tensions of this conflict has made Pakistan a rich breeding ground for Islamic extremists. In order to retain his power, President Musharraf decided to make use of these extremists in his intelligence service & military. While these individuals may have been useful during the heavy-handed rule of Musharraf, newly elected leadership in the country has pledged to remove these extremists from government & military positions; certainly a step in the right direction.

Pakistan's conflict with India has certainly been complicated by the increasingly friendly relations between the U.S. & India. During the Bush administration, we formally recognized India's nuclear arsenal. The scene is now set for India to fully enter the world's nuclear community. Congress is currently trying to stop this measure from being finalized. While many here at home will point to India's rising economy & strategic location in regards to China as a need to pass this measure, let's instead look at some possible outcomes in regards to the war on terror & current U.S. needs.

By stopping this measure from passing before the current administration leaves office, we will not hand yet another foreign relations blunder down to an incoming administration already being asked to clean up a massacre, fix an economy with enough failing banks to inspire a Steinbeck novel, normalize relations in several South American countries, & cope with a resurgent & aggressive Russia. It will present the incoming administration with the opportunity to offer a similar recognition of nuclear armament to Pakistan given to India, with the condition of exteremist removal from the seats of power & proper security for the weapons. Although India's rising economy may make it a more attractive ally, Pakistan's strategic location in relation to China is certainly comparable to India. Only Pakistan has the power to help us defeat the Taliban, with either direct access to their interior or attacks of their own. By formally recognizing both nations, we will level the playing field in Kashmir. By leveling the playing field, we will discourage Indian aggression in the region. Although the populace may be flaring up again, talks between the two governments have been moving toward finalization of the Line Of Control (LOC) between the nations. If the violence in the area dissolves quickly, it will likely not have a lasting effect on these discussions.

However, if the entry of India into the nuclear community is pushed through in the final days of the administration like a last hour pardon of a college drinking buddy imprisoned for embezzlement we can expect further complications in our efforts to end the war on terror.