Our track record in the region is not that strong, though. Afghanistan
is about to tumble to the Taliban again, and Pakistan may too, if we try
any sort of "choice of the people" solution, like an election.
If we can't handle the attitudes of the Taliban then perhaps we need to
rethink our entire Middle East strategy? So long as we create folk
heroes like Osama bin Laden in the region, we are just broadening our
own base of enemies.
Lets step back and take a look at the region. Who is there that we can
have some confidence in their support for us? Egypt, Turkey, India...
any other countries that we can use as a starting place to build a Peace
we can live with?
Lets be crude: Do we care more about stopping the Taliban or stopping
the opium?
Buck Calabro wrote:
With recent events in Pak, I can't help but be reminded of the example of
the Shah of Iran. The devil you know vs. the devil you don't.
There are parallels. In my humblest of opinions, I think it is the
last remnant of royalty that we still consider the man to be the
nation. We haven't been dealing with the people of Pakistan, we've
been dealing with the current coupmaster who is oppressing them.
While we may believe that this dictator is better than unknown
alternates but the very concept is an enabler for dictators! We, the
leading purveyor of democracy, are enabling dictatorships in the name
of... what?
