Thought you might enjoy the following article.
\nOctober 3, 2010
\nericmargolis.com<\/p>\n
Mission Creep In Afghanistan \/ Pakistan
\nBy Eric Margolis<\/p>\n
[Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist.
\nHis articles appear in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune,
\nthe Los Angeles Times, Times of London.]<\/p>\n
The focus of the Afghan War is clearly shifting south into Pakistan, drawing
\nthat nation and the United States forces ever closer to a direct
\nconfrontation. This grim development was as predictable as it was inevitable.<\/p>\n
In fact, this writer has been warning for years that US and NATO efforts to
\ndefeat resistance by Afghanistan\u00b9s fierce Pashtun tribes to Western
\noccupation would eventually lead to spreading the conflict into neighboring
\nPakistan, a nation of 175 million.<\/p>\n
Last week, Pakistan temporarily closed the main US\/NATO supply route from
\nKarachi to the Afghan border at Torkham after the killing of three Pakistani
\nsoldiers by US helicopter gunships. Two US\/NATO fuel supply convoys were
\nburned by anti-American militants.<\/p>\n
Eighty percent of the supplies of the US-led forces in Afghanistan come up
\nthis long, difficult route. Along the way, the US pays large bribes to
\nPakistani officials, local warlords, and to Taliban. The cost of a gallon of
\ngas delivered to US units in Afghanistan has risen to $800.<\/p>\n
US helicopter gunships have staged at least four attacks on Pakistan this
\npast week alone, in addition to the mounting number of strikes by CIA drones
\nthat are inflicting heavy casualties on civilians and tribal militants
\nalike. US special forces and CIA-run Afghan mercenaries are also
\nincreasingly active along Pakistan\u00b9s northwest frontier.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u00b9s feeble government has long closed its eyes to CIA\u00b9s drone
\nattacks. Washington does not even seek permission for the raids or give
\nadvance warning to Islamabad. Pakistani civilians bear the brunt of the
\nattacks.<\/p>\n
The failing government in Islamabad is caught between two fires. Pakistanis
\nare furious and humiliated by the American attacks. Each new assault further
\nundermines the inept, US-installed Zardari government. Even Interior
\nMinister Rehman Malik, the government\u00b9s strongman, protested last week\u00b9s US
\nattacks.<\/p>\n
But Pakistan is on the edge of economic collapse after its devastating
\nfloods. Islamabad is now totally reliant on $2 billion annual US aid, plus
\ntens of millions more \u00b3black\u00b2 payments from CIA. Washington has given
\nIslamabad $10 billion since 2001, most of which goes to financing 140,000
\nPakistani troops to join the US-led Afghan war.<\/p>\n
As Osama bin Laden just pointed out in a new audio tape, the Muslim nations
\nhave been derelict in coming to Pakistan\u00b9s aid. He blamed the massive
\nflooding in Pakistan on global warming.<\/p>\n
An influential former Pakistani chief of staff, Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg, just
\ndemanded Pakistan\u00b9s air force shoot down US drones and helicopters violating
\nhis nation\u00b9s sovereignty. His sentiments are widely shared in Pakistan\u00b9s
\nincreasingly angry military.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u00b9s senior generals are being blasted as \u00b3American stooges\u00b2 by some
\nof the media and are losing respect among Pakistanis. A video this week of
\nthe execution of six civilians by army troops has further damaged the army\u00b9s
\ngood name.<\/p>\n
However, Washington\u00b9s view is very different. Pakistan is increasingly
\nbranded insubordinate, ungrateful for billions in aid, and a potential enemy
\nof US regional interests. Many Americans consider Pakistan more of a foe
\nthan ally. The limited US financial response to Pakistan\u00b9s flood was a sign
\nof that nation\u00b9s poor repute in North America.<\/p>\n
Fears are growing in Washington that the nine-year Afghan War may be lost.
\nAmerican popular opinion has turned against the war. The Pentagon fears a
\nfailure in Afghanistan will humiliate the US military and undermine
\nAmerica\u00b9s international power. In short, just what happened to the Soviet
\nUnion in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
America\u00b9s foreign policy establishment is venting its anger and frustration
\nover the failing Afghan War by lashing out at Pakistan and the US-installed
\nKarzai regime in Kabul.<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u00b9s President, Asif Ali Zardari, is seen in Washington as hopeless
\nand incompetent. Full US attention is now on Pakistan\u00b9s military, the de
\nfacto government, and its respected but embattled commander, Gen. Ashfaq
\nKayani, whose tenure was just extended under US pressure. Kayani is still
\nregarded as an \u00b3asset\u00b2 by Washington. But like Zardari, he is caught between
\nAmerican demands and outraged Pakistanis \u00ad plus concerns about the threat
\nfrom India and Delhi\u00b9s machinations in Afghanistan. The recent upsurge of
\nviolence in Indian-ruled Kashmir has intensified these dangerous tensions.<\/p>\n
The neoconservative far right in Washington and its media allies again claim
\nPakistan is a grave threat to US interests and to Israel. Pakistan must be
\ndeclawed and dismembered, insist the neocons. Pakistan\u00b9s nuclear arsenal is
\nreportedly being targeted for seizure or elimination by US Special Forces.<\/p>\n
There is also talk in Washington of dividing Afghanistan into Pashtun, Tajik
\nand Uzbek mini-states, as the US has done in Iraq, and perhaps Pakistan, as
\nwell. Little states are easier to rule or intimidate than big ones. Many
\nPakistanis believe the United States is bent on dismembering their nation.
\nSome polls show Pakistanis now regard the United States as a greater enemy
\nthan India.<\/p>\n
Now that America is in full mid-term election frenzy, expect more calls for
\ntougher US military action in \u00b3AfPak.\u00b2 Already unpopular politicians are
\nterrified of being branded \u00b3soft on terrorism\u00b2 and failing to maximally
\nsupport US military campaigns. Flag waving replaces sober thought.<\/p>\n
If polls are right and Republicans achieve a major win, it\u00b9s likely there
\nwill be more and deeper US air and land attacks into Pakistan. The Pentagon
\nis convinced it can still defeat resistance by Taliban and its allies \u00b3if
\nonly we can go after their sanctuaries in Pakistan,\u00b2 as one general told me.<\/p>\n
Where have we heard this before? Why in Cambodia and Laos, that\u00b9s where,
\nduring the Vietnam War. The frustrated US expanded the war into Cambodia and
\nLaos to go after Communist base camps. The war spread; these two small
\nnations were largely destroyed, but the war was ultimately lost.<\/p>\n
Victory in war is achieved by concentration of forces, not spreading them
\never thinner and wider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thought you might enjoy the following article. October 3, 2010 ericmargolis.com<\/p>\n
Mission Creep In Afghanistan \/ Pakistan By Eric Margolis<\/p>\n
[Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist. His articles appear in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Times of London.]<\/p>\n
The focus of the Afghan War is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":747,"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743\/revisions\/747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.derykhouston.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}