Saturday, September 20, 2008

A little closed-door meeting is needed

The new president of Pakistan sends the U.S. a message:

"Pakistan's new president told lawmakers the nation will not tolerate violations of its sovereignty by "any power" in the name of fighting terrorism, a clear signal to the U.S. to avoid controversial cross-border strikes."

Perhaps he merely made that statement for domestic, Pakistani consumption.
But if not, U.S. representatives need to have a serious talk with Pakistan's leaders.
They need to be reminded, for example, of all the military aid the U.S. has given Pakistan over the years; and that the spigot for such aid can easily be turned off.
Actually, I suspect that what American leaders will tell him is this--that the U.S. will need to do what it has to do to battle terrorism. If Pakistan wants to denounce us publicly for us, that's fine. Go ahead. Just as long as our military action goes forward. And that may be what you'll see at some point in the future--Pakistan denouncing us fiercely for some raid, but doing nothing beyond that. Such is what occurs in the world of power politics sometimes...