Pakistan: Now or Never?
Perspectives on Pakistan
Pakistan’s “American Dream”
Pakistan cropped up with uncomfortable regularity during the U.S. presidential campaign, but listening to Barack Obama and John McCain it was difficult to discern how different their approach would be in dealing with one of America’s most complicated and conflicted allies.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari met leaders of both the Democrat and Republican camps just weeks after his own election in September, but unfortunately the controversy stirred by his unguarded compliment for Sarah Palin earned more comment than the substance of those meetings.
During his campaign, Obama stated his readiness to order U.S. forces to undertake operations on Pakistani territory to eliminate al Qaeda or terrorist threats if Pakistan was unprepared or unable to act.
McCain admonished Obama for saying such things out loud as it created diplomatic problems for an allied government, yet there was little to suggest that McCain would behave differently in terms of military strategy. Most Pakistanis are left to conclude that whoever wins today’s election, there will be more American troops in Afghanistan, more unrest in the ethnic Pashtun belt either side of the Afghan-Pakistani border, more U.S. missile strikes, and the constant threat that U.S. ground troops will be let off the leash in Pakistani tribal lands. (more…)
to answer the question that the article has put forward…the Pakistani people are not at the stage where cynisicm can be neglected.the on going civil war as well as the american attacks happening in the different parts of taliban occupied areas in Pakistan does not leave any of the citizens of this country to think of anything positively. whether its Obama or McCain, i do not think the situation of Pakistan would have been any worse than it is now. in either situation the country has and will suffer war from inside and outside forces. Obama’s win has effectd the POLITICS of the world but the question is, has it effected the lives of thousands of people suffering everyday at the hands of the army, the taliban and the constant air bombings of the u.s govt. Will his win really work on improving the lives of the citizens of Pakistan? Pakistan is approaching to the point where people do not want to take a second glance and leave thier lives and their homes for safety. will obama’s DIPLOMACY really help improve our situation or will his weopans eliminate be the solution and eliminate the place of the problem from its roots?