Response to Atlas about Pakistan
Your reading of the situation in Pakistan is absolutely correct. Pakistan is in deep trouble, which is perhaps the worst in its history. It may break up again, as it did in 1971 when its East Pakistan province broke off to become Bangladesh; but this time it may be into three or more parts.
The breaking off of East Pakistan from the West was an event waiting to happen ever since Pakistan was formed. The former was treated more or less like a colony by West Pakistan. The two were not geographically contiguous, being at the extreme ends of the Indian sub-continent with the vast Gangetic plane in between. There were all kinds of conflicts – ethnic, cultural, linguistic, economic, and even religious as the Islam they practised was of different flavours. India helped the break up in a big way.
The present situation, however, is largely its own making that has cumulatively gathered into a crisis.
In any plan to save Pakistan by its ‘friends’ like the U.S. or China, India may not be of much help, because, India is actually a part of the problem. The distrust between the two is almost visceral, in which religion has played and is playing a major role. With fundamentalism on the rise among Muslims as well as Hindus, it may only worsen.
India would definitely prefer a weak or dismembered Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue the way it wants, and to please the radical anti-Muslim elements.
As to your pointed question, ‘what can the US gain from being involved in this region?’, I think, the involvement is a carry over from the past engagements with Pakistan as well as a worry about the danger from radical Islamic groups.
I am not sure whether the U.S. ever had a genuine concern for Pakistan’s well being or for democracy in Pakistan. It had all along helped Pakistan with money and arms, in fact more when Pakistan was under military dictatorships than when it had elected governments. The U.S. had earlier used Pakistan as an observation post and a military base for action against the Soviet Union, as a poke to taunt India in the name of maintaining ‘balance of power’ in South Asia, and as a broker of friendship between itself and China. This situation changed after the end of the cold war and especially under the presidentship of George W. Bush. Pakistan’s use for the U.S. now may be solely as a base for its operations against Al Qaida and Taliban.
If you would like to to have another view, please check http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22557.htm
Suzarin
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