Thursday, December 4
Epic Fail
This website called Failblog - www.failblog.org is highly recommended. Following is an Epic Fail:
Monday, December 1
Pakistan: A story dying to end
Post the carnage at Mumbai, global political games have kicked off. While India is constantly and as it seems, convincingly, accusing Pakistan of having played a direct role in the attack, Pakistan is using the good-will of its civilian leadership to act the angel. The US, never a mute spectator, has its own ends to meet through India and Pakistan. The leaders are measuring their words, encapsulating it in diplomacy to avoid a face-off.
A war-like situation is developing. Given the economic situation in Pakistan [their economy was on the verge of collapsing a few fortnights back; received a 'bailout' loan from IMF to the tune of $7 bn. ], it is evident that Pakistan can't afford a war. India, on the other hand, is economically much better off to deal with the inevitable.
Pakistani troops, about 100,00 in number are occupying its western border with Afghan and this is of utmost importance to the US to maintain pressure on Taliban. Fearing an Indian backlash, the Pakistan army has started to 'blackmail' the US maintaining that if India ups the ante along their border, Pakis would have no option but to mobilize their forces towards the east to fend off any Indian insurgency. That would inturn give Bush/Obama sleepless nights as all their progress in Afghan till now will be undone.
Given that international consensus and support is imperative for Pakistan's survival (lets talk about growth later), the civilian government led by Asif Zardari is playing all its diplomatic cards, including appeasing India to minimize the damage. If the civilian government is indeed looking at bettering ties with India, then this incident is a clinching proof to show that the military is the real boss. The international community, including India, fears that should a war break out in the near future, the military in Pakistan would overturn the people's government and we will again have a situation where the jehadi extremists call the shots. Add the nukes, the concoction becomes extremely precarious. Whether they have the pair to engage in nuclear warfare is a question better not posed to the radical extremists.
While India, in all its sanity would wage a 'clean war', the Pakis can resort to anything because the leadership there is based on anti-India ideology, a hatred based one. Infact, the Army Chief of Pakistan is a former ISI chief. This might prevent India from going ahead with a full-fledged war.
A quote from a recent TOI article:
Leave out everything, the coming few days will see a lot of international lobbying. Needless to say, a war SHOULD be avoided - but not at the cost of appellation of 'soft state' to India. Its time we show the world who's the boss and if need be, be the means to the end.
A war-like situation is developing. Given the economic situation in Pakistan [their economy was on the verge of collapsing a few fortnights back; received a 'bailout' loan from IMF to the tune of $7 bn. ], it is evident that Pakistan can't afford a war. India, on the other hand, is economically much better off to deal with the inevitable.
Pakistani troops, about 100,00 in number are occupying its western border with Afghan and this is of utmost importance to the US to maintain pressure on Taliban. Fearing an Indian backlash, the Pakistan army has started to 'blackmail' the US maintaining that if India ups the ante along their border, Pakis would have no option but to mobilize their forces towards the east to fend off any Indian insurgency. That would inturn give Bush/Obama sleepless nights as all their progress in Afghan till now will be undone.
Given that international consensus and support is imperative for Pakistan's survival (lets talk about growth later), the civilian government led by Asif Zardari is playing all its diplomatic cards, including appeasing India to minimize the damage. If the civilian government is indeed looking at bettering ties with India, then this incident is a clinching proof to show that the military is the real boss. The international community, including India, fears that should a war break out in the near future, the military in Pakistan would overturn the people's government and we will again have a situation where the jehadi extremists call the shots. Add the nukes, the concoction becomes extremely precarious. Whether they have the pair to engage in nuclear warfare is a question better not posed to the radical extremists.
While India, in all its sanity would wage a 'clean war', the Pakis can resort to anything because the leadership there is based on anti-India ideology, a hatred based one. Infact, the Army Chief of Pakistan is a former ISI chief. This might prevent India from going ahead with a full-fledged war.
A quote from a recent TOI article:
Even in the political sphere, Pakistan's continued existence as a single entity is premised on enmity with India, the glue which keeps the country together. Some Pakistanis have suggested in recent months that take away animosity against India, then Pakistan's founding itself becomes questionable.International community might vehemently side with India in the coming days but will also be careful enough to craft strategies to ward off war calls. The US has a bunch of problems to heed to - the economic recession and the transition in their own leadership. An Indo-Pak standoff will only add to their woes. US can't sever its links with Pakistan and they can't go back on the newly established love relationship with India. And at a juncture of transition between two leaderships opposite in their beliefs, more external trouble spells more internal indifferences.
Leave out everything, the coming few days will see a lot of international lobbying. Needless to say, a war SHOULD be avoided - but not at the cost of appellation of 'soft state' to India. Its time we show the world who's the boss and if need be, be the means to the end.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
