To stem terror in Pakistan, US looks beyond military

Source: AP

By Howard LaFranch

Washington – In an admission that its dependence on the Pakistani military has yielded few results against the Taliban, the United States is now seeking to change its relationship with Pakistan – the world's sole Muslim nuclear power and home of Al Qaeda's leadership.

President Barack Obama's first budget, released last week, proposes significant increases in nonmilitary aid to Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. In addition, two influential senators are expected to file legislation in the coming days that would triple nonmilitary US aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year and include $5 billion to stave off an imminent economic crisis.

The shift is part of an increasing awareness within the Beltway of Pakistan's precarious position – beset by economic collapse, political weakness, and a spreading insurgency – and that more than military operations will be needed to build a stable state capable of beating back Islamic extremism in the long term.

"If we fail, we face a truly frightening prospect: terrorist sanctuary, economic meltdown, and spiraling radicalism, all in a nation with 170 million inhabitants and a full arsenal of nuclear weapons," said Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts last week, while releasing a report about Pakistan.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20090302/ts_csm/atriple_1

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SOURCES: COLLATED BY CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
(NOV. 10, 2008 REPORT) USING DATA FROM US DEPARTMENTS
OF STATE, DEFENSE, AND AGRICULTURE AND THE US AGENCY
FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT/RICH CLABAU



More on why Pakistan's situation is extremely worrisome: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x429668

For the last 2 decades, Pakistan has been gorging on US funds and in return shown negative output. Why can't John Kerry attach significant conditions to the $5 bn bailout (for eg: improvement in literacy over the next 3 years; increase in enrollment in non-madrassa schools; decrease in madrassa schools etc)

US should know that Pak has misused & diverted earlier US funds to it's own causes in Afghanistan & Kashmir. Why repeat mistakes made by Bush? When will US Congress & leadership learn their Pak lesson?

Are you asking pakistan & US - sovereign nations in their rights to negotiate with taliban, a terrorist nations. Taliban is a scum organization and will not rest till they see the entire world converted to their fundamentalist islam. how do you make peace with them.

To me, Pak gov is acting in cowardice when they surrendered the Swat valley. If it were to me, i would have fought to death rather than surrendering my sovereign territory to terrorists.

also, a second question to you - wasn't taliban created by Pak ISI & military themselves. Isn't it a shame that ISI & pak military allowed taliban a free hand thus converting pakistan into the hotbed of global terrorism. I have little sympathy for pak politicians and military heads who chose this path of sacrificing their fellow men & country instead of fighting islam fundamentalism.

I won't compare Pakistan and India.Pakistan's politicians are dummies and when Taliban were formed for fighting war against Russia they were called MUJAHIDEEN but now when they are fighting against the same creators they became TERRORISTS.I do not support them but want to make clear that we have created our terrorists ourselves and now have used all kinds of things against them and the only solution to the problems of terrorist attacks is to negotiate.
Pakistani military forces have not surrendered but they had taken a road to peace so that the people could live in peace.If you ever get a chance to see the situation there I bet you would be shaken to legs because there are many untold stories of a battle that is not of people of Pakistan but is imposed upon them by the dummy politicians and the US.What is bad if one is negotiating for peace.

Thanks for posting this, to the greatest.