What to Do About Pakistan
Clear points on the political and humanitarian quagmire.By Christy Harvey, Mic Check Radio
June 9, 2009
SOURCE: AP/Milo Morenatti
Know Five Things
1) Why Pakistan Is Important
- Pakistan shares a 1640-mile, very porous border with Afghanistan. [National Geographic]
- The New York Times recently reported the connection between Afghanistan and its neighbor Pakistan has been growing stronger. Pakistan, already known to be “an unstable nuclear power, with distant tribal areas in terrorist hands” has been supporting the Taliban’s military campaign in southern Afghanistan with money, supplies, guidence and operatives from Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, “despite Pakistani government promises to sever ties to militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, according to American government officials.” [NY Times]
- Also, “the annual terrorism report released by the State Department in late April 2009 reported that terrorist attacks inside of Pakistan have quadrupled since 2006.” [CAP]
2) The United States Wants Pakistan’s Help In US Anti-Terrorism Efforts
- The United States has pledged $1.5 billion in annual aid to Pakistan, in return for help in fighting terrorism in the region. [Bloomberg]
- “The United States now has 56,000 troops in Afghanistan, up sharply from 32,000 at the end of 2008. Pentagon officials expect that number to rise to 68,000 by the start of 2010.” [Reuters]
3) Challenge: Pakistanis Just Aren’t Into US Anti-Terrorism Efforts
- According to a recent report from the Center For American Progress on Pakistan, Pakistani public opinion is not supportive of the United States’ counterterrorism goals in the region. They just have too much else on their minds.
- “Recent polling conducted by the International Republican Institute in March 2009 and released in early May confirms these sentiments: Only 10 percent of those polled indicated terrorism was the most important issue facing the country, compared to inflation (identified by 46 percent) and unemployment (22 percent). Even though the increased frequency of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan during the past two years has heightened concerns among Pakistanis, a strong majority (61 percent) oppose cooperating with the United States to combat terrorism.” [CAP]
4) Pakistan Is Suffering From Serious Refugee Crisis
- An area of Pakistan known as the Swat Valley has become a war zone, with the Pakistan military locked in bloody battles with the Taliban.
- What Happened: “Gates blamed a rise in Afghan violence that began in 2006 on peace deals between Pakistan and militants across the Afghan border in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Those deals, he said, took military pressure off the Taliban and other groups and allowed more fighters to cross the border into Afghanistan.” [Reuters]
- The result? Millions of displaced people. [NY Times]
- “The costs of the conflict and caring for 2 million war refugees may widen Pakistan’s fiscal deficit to as much as 4.5 percent of gross domestic product in the year ending June 30, more than the government had forecast.” [Bloomberg]
5) Recommendations
- This Spring, representatives from the Center for American Progress traveled to Pakistan to get a sense of the challenges the country is facing. Based on their visit, here are some recommendations of what should happen next. [CAP]
- “One key element that needs to be on the agenda is addressing long-standing India-Pakistan tensions. Following the conclusion of the Indian general election cycle in mid-May and the subsequent formation of a government, the Obama administration and its international allies should engage in regional diplomacy that seeks to restart the composite dialogue process between Pakistan and India.”
- “With Pakistan still in the early and fragile stages of a democratic transition, the United States now must establish relations with a much broader range of interests and players. Pakistani perceptions of America’s role in manipulating its internal political system make any such engagement a delicate issue. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was correct to emphasize in recent testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the United States supports the current democratically elected government against any prospect of extra-constitutional sabotage, while keeping dialogue open with the democratic opposition.”
- “Investment in training, equipping, and expanding Pakistan’s police force and judicial system will have the greatest impact on Pakistan’s capacity to marginalize and eliminate extremist and terrorist groups.”
Talk to An Expert
Interested in talking with an expert on this topic or hosting a speaking event? Contact
Social Bookmarking
--------
Comments