Things are going to get ugly in Pakistan

[HeXploiT]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070711/D8QAJ8C01.html

I'm not one to buy into all the alarmist bullsh*t when it comes to terrorism but in my opinion this is baaaad[/i] news.

Pervez Musharraf is going to have is hands full in the coming years.
Pakistan's military is no paper tiger however it is filled with with friends of
Al qaeda and other radical islamic groups. I have always believed that there are two major possible flashpoints for a broad regional war in the Middle East. Lebanon is one and Pakistan is the other. I think the level of danger has just increased exponentially. I worry about the nukes in Pakistan 100 times as much as what Iran might have.

 

[darthsidious]

Stop being irrationally afraid. Pak nukes will not go into terrorist hands. Their millitary isn't incompetent, and they know the consequence of loose nukes.

 

[HeXploiT]

Originally posted by: darthsidious
Stop being irrationally afraid. Pak nukes will not go into terrorist hands. Their millitary isn't incompetent, and they know the consequence of loose nukes.

Our military isn't incompetent either and look what Iraq looks like.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: Perry404

Originally posted by: darthsidious
Stop being irrationally afraid. Pak nukes will not go into terrorist hands. Their millitary isn't incompetent, and they know the consequence of loose nukes.

Our military isn't incompetent either and look what Iraq looks like.

Iraq looks like that because our military leaders are incredibly incompetent.

The Chicken Little argument didn't work for Iraq when we were repeatedly told about "nuclear weapons" and "mushroom clouds", it didn't work for Iran, it didn't work for North Korea, and it certainly isn't going to work for Pakistan. Find another reason to hide under your covers and night; this one is getting old.

 

[palehorse]

I will agree with you that both Lebanon and Pakistan are extremely volatile places, for sure... I would also argue against folks like Darth and jpeyton who would downplay it to the point of ignoring it completely. We really do need to keep a sharp eye on their nukes...

 

[K1052]

meh....they've been trying to assassinate Musharraf for years without success

He still has the backing of the more moderate segment of the population and total control of the armed forces. This is more PR than anything.

 

[Mxylplyx]

I have a feeling the U.S., possibly in a partnership with Russia and Musharraf himself, has a contingency plan for dealing with Pakistans nukes if their government falls to radicals.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: Perry404

Originally posted by: darthsidious
Stop being irrationally afraid. Pak nukes will not go into terrorist hands. Their millitary isn't incompetent, and they know the consequence of loose nukes.

Our military isn't incompetent either and look what Iraq looks like.

Iraq looks like that because our military leaders are incredibly incompetent.

Actually, it looks like that because they are competent and do what they were made to do: blow things up, that's it. Iraq is a mess because the OTHER facets of the US government had competency issues!

 

[amish]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: Perry404

Originally posted by: darthsidious
Stop being irrationally afraid. Pak nukes will not go into terrorist hands. Their millitary isn't incompetent, and they know the consequence of loose nukes.

Our military isn't incompetent either and look what Iraq looks like.

Iraq looks like that because our military leaders are incredibly incompetent.

Actually, it looks like that because they are competent and do what they were made to do: blow things up, that's it. Iraq is a mess because the OTHER facets of the US government had competency issues!

exactly. well put.

 

[Braznor]

America better takes care of Pakistan nukes, after all they approved of Pakistani nuke program.

 

[The Green Bean]

Originally posted by: Mxylplyx
I have a feeling the U.S., possibly in a partnership with Russia and Musharraf himself, has a contingency plan for dealing with Pakistans nukes if their government falls to radicals.

Naah...He'd rather give it to Iran...So what's with Alqaeeda? They don't understand politics. They've been declaring war on America's enemies like Iran and now Pakistan.

 

[The Green Bean]

Originally posted by: Braznor
America better takes care of Pakistan nukes, after all they approved of Pakistani nuke program.

Indian propaganda?

 

[1prophet]

A False Choice for Pakistan

There are other political calculations in all of this. For too long, the international perception has been that Musharraf's regime is the only thing standing between the West and nuclear-armed fundamentalists.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Islamic parties have never garnered more than 13 percent in any free parliamentary elections in Pakistan. The notion of Musharraf's regime as the only non-Islamist option is disingenuous and the worst type of fear-mongering.

Much has been said about Pakistan being a key Western ally in the war against terrorism. It is the fifth-largest recipient of U.S. aid -- the Bush administration proposed $785 million in its latest budget. Yet terrorism around the world has increased. Why is it that all terrorist plots -- from the Sept. 11 attacks, to Madrid, to London, to Mumbai -- seem to have roots in Islamabad?

<Pakistan's military and intelligence services have, for decades, used religious parties for recruits. Political madrassas -- religious schools that preach terrorism by perverting the faith of Islam -- have spread by the tens of thousands.

The West has been shortsighted in dealing with Pakistan. When the United States aligns with dictatorships and totalitarian regimes, it compromises the basic democratic principles of its foundation -- namely, life, liberty and justice for all. Dictatorships such as Musharraf's suppress individual rights and freedoms and empower the most extreme elements of society. Oppressed citizens, unable to represent themselves through other means, often turn to extremism and religious fundamentalism.

 

[GrGr]

Originally posted by: 1prophet




A False Choice for Pakistan

There are other political calculations in all of this. For too long, the international perception has been that Musharraf's regime is the only thing standing between the West and nuclear-armed fundamentalists.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Islamic parties have never garnered more than 13 percent in any free parliamentary elections in Pakistan. The notion of Musharraf's regime as the only non-Islamist option is disingenuous and the worst type of fear-mongering.

Much has been said about Pakistan being a key Western ally in the war against terrorism. It is the fifth-largest recipient of U.S. aid -- the Bush administration proposed $785 million in its latest budget. Yet terrorism around the world has increased. Why is it that all terrorist plots -- from the Sept. 11 attacks, to Madrid, to London, to Mumbai -- seem to have roots in Islamabad?

<<Pakistan's military and intelligence services have, for decades, used religious parties for recruits. Political madrassas -- religious schools that preach terrorism by perverting the faith of Islam -- have spread by the tens of thousands.

The West has been shortsighted in dealing with Pakistan. When the United States aligns with dictatorships and totalitarian regimes, it compromises the basic democratic principles of its foundation -- namely, life, liberty and justice for all. Dictatorships such as Musharraf's suppress individual rights and freedoms and empower the most extreme elements of society. Oppressed citizens, unable to represent themselves through other means, often turn to extremism and religious fundamentalism.

We see the same reasoning when the US employs the Mukhbarat in Iraq, the PKK and MEK in Iran, the Drug Warlords in Afghanistan etc. The bad guys are good guys if they dance at the end of US strings.