Why Pakistan Balks at the U.S. Afghanistan Offensive

Time by Omar Waraich | Jul. 29, 2009 (News Analysis)

Pakistan is not betting on a U.S. victory in Afghanistan, nor is it going out of its way to help achieve one. Instead, say analysts and former top officials in Islamabad, Pakistan views the conflict in Afghanistan through the lens of its own national interests and its conflict with India — and it will act accordingly, prioritizing securing its own interests in Afghanistan's future. And that could be bad news for a U.S.-led military campaign that depends ... Full Story »

Posted by Derek Hawkins - via Google News (Pakistan)

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John Louden
3.9
 by John Louden - Jul. 29, 2009

A comprehensive treatment of a very complex situation; reasonably deep without becoming too ambitious.

Mohmand says the best outcome for the U.S. in Afghanistan is to negotiate an exit. “Fundamentally, the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is unsustainable,” says the former Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan. “At some point, they will have to be driven to the negotiations table. Pakistan will have to be included in the overall architecture of those talks. This can happen if basic objectives are met: there is some sort of functioning democracy, there is no space for al-Qaeda and it is a stabilized and peaceful country. If those benchmarks can be negotiated by regional powers, then the U.S. could begin to leave.”

FYI Barack Obama - “Fundamentally, the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is unsustainable”.

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