How much longer can the U.S./Pakistan alliance farce continue? With the friction between us, and with Afghanistan and the Taliban the bones of contention, it’s time for this dog fight to end.
Pakistan refuses to end its six-month blockade of NATO troop supplies meant for Afghanistan, and the U.S. is angered by Pakistan’s unwillingness to go after Taliban forces using its territory. Pakistani officials don’t appreciate our requests for more help despite their internal problems, and feel that we show no consideration for the fact that Pakistan has lost thousands of troops fighting the Taliban, who are mad at Pakistan because they are helping the Americans.
The only way for the U.S. to win in the Middle East is to pay attention to the lesson the Soviets finally learned in 1989 — just get out. No invader has ever won a war in the Middle East, and that includes the Crusaders more than eight centuries ago. Don’t take my word for it, though. Ask Great Britain — or Russia.
We need to bring our troops and contractors home now. As for staying in Pakistan to safeguard their nuclear weapons, we can’t even protect our own installations there. And now India, Pakistan’s next-door enemy and our real ally in the region, has just tested a missile with nuclear weapon capabilities. Instead of creating unrest in Pakistan, we need to be brokering peace in the region as a neutral party, before some hothead starts World War III.
