Obama's Pakistan charm offensive
Looks like we won't be "shorting" Pakistan anytime soon:
As Pakistani civilian and military leaders arrive here this week for high-level meetings, the Obama administration will begin trying to mend a relationship badly damaged by the American militaryâ??s tough new stance in the region.Among the sweeteners on the table will be a multiyear security pact with Pakistan, complete with more reliable military aid â?? something the Pakistani military has long sought to complement the five-year, $7.5 billion package of nonmilitary aid approved by Congress last year. The administration will also discuss how to channel money to help Pakistan rebuild after its ruinous flood.
But the American gestures come at a time of fraying patience on the part of the Obama administration, and they will carry a familiar warning, a senior American official said: if Pakistan does not intensify its efforts to crack down on militants hiding out in the tribal areas of North Waziristan, or if another terrorist plot against the United States were to emanate from Pakistani soil, the administration would find it hard to persuade Congress or the American public to keep supporting the country.
As with concerns that America is going to "abandon" Europe because of its defense cuts, this is an empty threat. As long as bin Laden and the rump elements of al-Qaeda's leadership are in Pakistan and as long as the U.S. is working to stabilize Afghanistan, we are going to need to have some kind of working relationship with Pakistan that involves transferring American tax dollars to its military. I suppose we need to engage in a song and dance about this, but it's not going to change the basic reality of the situation.
(AP Photo)
