tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post5274369944955759200..comments2024-03-19T09:06:21.507-04:00Comments on Irtiqa: Another school blown up by militants in SwatSalman Hameedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04327330113822656571noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-6551614226105758592009-01-28T17:35:00.000-05:002009-01-28T17:35:00.000-05:00Do Pakistani forces have the desire to fight the i...<I>Do Pakistani forces have the desire to fight the insurgency?</I><BR/><BR/>Well...yes, this has been one of the issues, and we'll see what will happens in Swat. <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7856866.stm" REL="nofollow">Here</A> is an interesting tone from the army: they are talking about "retaking" Swat. This is a significant statement. Remember, Swat is not part of FATA - and is included in Pakistan proper - and it is an admission of loosing a significant chunk of territory. My reading is that this is going to be a serious operation. But I think if this didn't succeed in dislodging the Taliban (for whatever reason), then we may quickly start seeing more adjacent areas falling to the Taliban.Salman Hameedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04327330113822656571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-55882474945758160492009-01-28T12:32:00.000-05:002009-01-28T12:32:00.000-05:00Do Pakistani forces have the desire to fight the i...Do Pakistani forces have the <I>desire</I> to fight the insurgency? Some of this is ethnic I assume, but are there people in the Pakistani armed forces sympathetic to hard-line religious groups of any ethnicity? Or are they simply overwhelmed by or underprepared for the fight? Or both?<BR/><BR/>I agree that the coalition airstrikes within Pakistan are not helping this politically, but are they really driving that many people toward the Taleban, or simply away from what they perceive as an ineffective central government (and the west)? I can't believe large numbers of people in Pakistan actually want this. The fact that they're killing and intimidating people to consolidate their gains tells me they're not ruling a population that loves them or their ideas.<BR/><BR/>I agree that the Pakistani people probably have to fight this one, with or without outside financial, intelligence, materiel, and/or tactical support. I hope they win it -- it won't be easy or painless.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18336895080318689408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-8041322984478073232009-01-27T23:28:00.000-05:002009-01-27T23:28:00.000-05:00Well...this is not simply a Pakistan problem. If t...Well...this is not simply a Pakistan problem. If this trend continues, then this will lead to a collapse of society in Pakistan - with its 160 million inhabitants. That said, the effectiveness of drone attacks need a serious evaluations. They have been effective in taking out some high value targets, but there has been significant collateral damage. More interestingly, the effectiveness of these attacks, it seems, have pushed the Taliban to the more populous mainstream areas of Pakistan. <BR/><BR/>So it comes back to strong economic incentives along with security. It seems that the Obama administration will be moving in the economic direction. It is not clear what to do about security. Ultimately, it will be the Pakistani forces that will have to deal with this - and it is not clear if they have the capability of fighting an insurgency. So again, military assistance in training Pakistani forces in counter-insurgency will be helpful - but that will require defusing tensions with India. <BR/><BR/>This is going to be a very tough problem - but I don't think we can afford to loose. But ultimately Pakistanis will have to realize that it is a fight for their own existence. This has often worked well in creating animosity against India - but the real monster is already inside its western borders.Salman Hameedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04327330113822656571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-59688262082951418112009-01-27T18:44:00.000-05:002009-01-27T18:44:00.000-05:00What effect do you think Obama will have on mideas...What effect do you think Obama will have on mideast peace? Will his kindness and strength stir things up more or will he be a pacifier in the region?Questions About Faith, Etc.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11991533785879609481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38085367.post-77450092992294689072009-01-27T14:20:00.000-05:002009-01-27T14:20:00.000-05:00Is there a role for the rest of the world to play ...Is there a role for the rest of the world to play in this, or is this something that has to be dealt with within Pakistan?<BR/><BR/>As I type this I realize my own question doesn't make sense, because the Taleban are being supported from outside Pakistan, either with direct support or through drug money... <BR/><BR/>What I mean is there anything the rest of the world can do to stop this? Is there any desire among the vast majority of Pakistanis to have foreign assistance in this, up to and including direct military intervention?Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18336895080318689408noreply@blogger.com