Irrational Patriotism, Liberalism and Nuclear Arsenal

This is a great place for me to visit as I need to understand more of this. Thanks for the tips.

http://pakistanherald.com/Profile/Abbas-Athar-685

Re: # 67

Hindu Right wingers are not asking the Queen to wear a burqa. Neither are they asking the Muslais to pay jaziya or asking non-hindus to convert to the Dharam. If the only thing they ask of xtians or muslais is end your trans-national loyalties and love your motherland.

The problem with congenital liars like you is that when you are covered with excrement you wish to shake the same so hard that the same falls on others and give you a chance to say "look they too".

It can never occur to you when covered with sh***t to go and wash your self.

Sanatani

Go NRO Go!

I am altaf pai from London via Karachi via Agra.

Mr. M #147 No doubt we wont see the polls swinging around wildly based on one three-day visit. Nevertheless, the visit accomplished as much as one could hope for on two fronts:

1. Good feelings: Pakistani TV commentators and newspapers (e.g. News, Dawn) had some very positive things to say about the visit. The News said she was honest and rasonable in her responses, Kamran Khan (who used to rant about "amreeki drone hamlay") noted how she had "amazed" (heraan kar diya) everyone with the example she set for our leaders to follow of meeting ordinary people and not secluding themselves in palaces.

2. Ground realities: HC provided some much needed dose of reality that has been missing in Pakistan on a number of things - e.g. the US has a duty to its tax payers to ensure that the KL money is spent on intended things like schools and tube wells and not diverted to other uses(the audience even applauded her when she said this) and so on.

Re: # 150 SPY

It is impossible to make specific predictions, but I can tell you that if Pakistan becomes even more unstable, India will face the fallout and negative consequences. At this point, one cannot be more specific. Manmohan Singh was right when he said recently that India's fate is tied up with Pakistan's.

The US is not what the 19th century British were - the latter were a rapacious, private company beholden to shareholders in 1857.

Re: # 140 Pew says: "If India and Pakistan do not put their past behind them, there is no doubt that history will repeat itself."

That is too generic a statement and depends on what you regard as history. The USA/Pak relationship is headig towards the equvivalent of Brits/India relationship about 100 years back. Do you forsee similar grave equivalent for India also.

Re: # 110 Riaz says: "I don't see it as either or. In the real world, nations have to deal with both internal and external threats to survive and thrive. "

You seem better in spouting motherhood statements after some well deserved rest. But the devil is in the details.

#104 - "And it certainly won't spare India, if it continues to collaborate with the TTP to hurt Pakistan"

It is coming straight out of your experience of failing to control this monster. We are well aware of it and hence never gone down the line of good jihadi, bad jihadi. I hope saner senses prevail and Pak destroys all the terrorist outfits including the LeT and JeM etc. directed towards India, otherwise a few years down the line they would be the new monsters for Pak.

Re: # 121 Riaz says: "What we need to do is deal with reality as it stands. We don't have the choice of turning the clock back."

And how do we do achieve that....you do not talk anything about it.

In #132 you are back to your favorite game, talk about India's problem. Unless you are waiting to see how India tackle the Maoist problems and apply its lessons to your domestic (Taliban) problems.

#145. Mr. T, I don't agree that HRC has done a good job in selling American policies. Let's see what the next polling data shows.

Hillary is getting negative reviews of her "pathetic performance" in Pakistan. Here's sample comment by Michael Scheuer of Georgetown University and former CIA guy in charge of bin Laden hunt, as published by National Journal Online:

Mrs. Clinton's pathetic performance in Pakistan today underscores that neither she, the State Department, nor President Obama is what America needs in wartime. Clinton and almost all of our governing elite are worthless caricatures of a leaders so long as they fail to make the protection of the United States the single basis from which all policy flows. Like a hectoring school marm, Mrs. Clinton today told the Pakistanis that she could not believe they did not know the location of Osama bin Laden. Whether or not the Pakistanis know, the reality is that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda are America's problem not Pakistan's. Indeed, Pakistan under Musharraf and Zidari have contributed more to the U.S. war in Afghanistan than any of our other allies. Zidari and his Army are now on the verge of seeing their country consumed in a civil war because of what they have done to assist the Bush and Obama administrations. What we need to hear from Mrs. Clinton, Obama, McCain, and the rest is:

"Thanks, Pakistan, for all you have done. We American leaders have behaved as abject, child-like creatures since 9/11 and have looked to use bribery as a tool for enticing other people to do America’s dirty work. That was and is a stupid and cowardly policy. From here on out, we recognize that 9/11 was an act of war against the United States -- not an attack against Western civilization, per Colin Powell’s fatuous claim -- and that we alone are responsible for eradicating those who attacked America. We are capable of doing so, and we intend to do so and end this problem as quickly as possible. "

This is what America needs to hear from Mrs. Clinton. Alas, we will not hear it from her or any other member of the Obama team. We will keep looking for other countries we can bribe to do America's dirty work. Geography may become a problem shortly, however. After Pakistan is gone as a viable state, who will Washington turn to get bin Laden or any other foe who appears? The mighty legions of Turkmenistan, perhaps?
Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide

Matrix #144 I think her responses were quite appropriate, dont you think? It was the questions I was concerned about - seems to me the underlying concern of the questioners was not the drone attacks on terrorists or the conditions attached to the KL bill, but rather a mixture of concern for ensuring Pakistan's sovereignty.

That is a legitmate concern - and by emphasizing US support for a democratic government in Pakistan, Hillary addressed this underlying concern quite effectively.

#143. My analogy is not to marriage but rather lovers in open free form multiple relationships and the games in such situations.
The purpose of an analogy is to make uninitiated understand a complex situation. To wise small hints should be enough.
I like to hear your analysis of HRC responses while visiting Pakistan.

#131 i think you are confusing international relations with marital relations.

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Re: # 121 Riaz

I agree with your observation, but as my review of the book, "Shadow of the Great Game" by NK Sarila showed that the British would have engineered a Partition one or the other (with or without Jinnah) as long as the Congress Party showed no sensitivity towards British strategic interests in South Asia. Kashmir is a footnote in the larger historical picture.

I am reading currently a book called 'The Last Mughal' by William Dalrymple. It is a tragic story of a small British force that successfully laid seige to a much superior force (but one that was badly led) at Delhi that ultimately resulted in the end of the House of Timur and the banishment of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

If India and Pakistan do not put their past behind them, there is no doubt that history will repeat itself.