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The Next Nuclear Nightmare
Mohammad Malik, AFP / Getty Images
With the Taliban claiming credit for a new suicide blast that killed 41 in Pakistan Monday, Bruce Riedel explains why Pakistanis see America as an even bigger threat to their security.
This weekend’s dramatic attack on the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, the military center of Pakistan, underscores the volatility and fragility of politics in the world’s second largest Muslim country. The Taliban attackers demonstrated that despite losing the campaign in the Swat Valley this summer, they retain the capacity for terror in the heart of Pakistan—striking, in effect, into the Pentagon of Pakistan. And the attack, which left 16 dead, will almost certainly revive concerns about the capacity of the Pakistani army to protect its nuclear arsenal. If the Taliban can get into army headquarters, where else might it strike next?
In this atmosphere, the president and his team need to remember that everything he does in Afghanistan affects what happens next door.
The good news is the army has spent a great deal of effort and resources on protecting what is the world’s fastest growing nuclear arsenal. An entire corps of the army is now devoted to securing and defending Pakistan’s weapons from any potential threat. It may not be foolproof, but it is a serious effort.
The bad news is many Pakistanis, including many in the army, believe the United States is a bigger threat to their weapons of mass destruction than anyone else. Poll after poll shows Pakistanis increasingly do fear the threat posed by Islamic extremists like the Taliban and its ally al Qaeda, but they believe the U.S. is an even bigger danger to their country, the only Muslim state with nuclear weapons. Polls show that more Pakistanis believe the U.S. is a threat to their country than India, and any time you outpoll India as the bad guy in Pakistan, you are in deep trouble.
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They also hear the enemies’ taunting messages. Osama bin Laden told Europeans last month that America will cut and run soon, and they should get out before the Americans leave so they don’t have to face the jihad alone. Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, this month lauded Beitullah Mehsud, the former head of the Pakistani Taliban who was killed by a CIA drone, for bringing Pakistan to the edge of an Islamic revolution and promised to push on to victory.
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zanchi
Cute for a fluff piece, Ms. Bennet, but not cute enough!
Judging from most of the comments left here, some people are taking you seriously!
crymeariver
You are contradicting your own argument!
Why do the Pakistanis believe the United States is a bigger threat to their weapons of mass destruction than anyone else? Because the U.S. is concerned that Pakistan is too busy worrying about Indian to fight against al Qaeda or the Taliban.
So if Pakistan is (rightly) afraid that we might take control of their nuclear weapons to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands, wouldn't they WANT us to LEAVE? The longer we are committed to staying in the region, they more worried Pakistan will be about us getting a hold of their nuclear codes.
I suggest re-writing the article.
AngryJ
Wait a minute, don't they know we voted for a peace loving President who just won the Nobel Prize, I mean if that doesn't convince them we are a peace loving nation nothing will. (sarcasm intended)
byersl
Go back to your litter box. Sorry to all those kitty lovers out there.
AngryJ
Great retort...very creative
eroteme
The usual self serving argument from the Pakistani's who have deliberately nurtured extremist Islamic movements for years as state policy, so as to use them as proxies in a permanent low grade war against India in Kashmir and Afghanistan.
Pakistani society is a combustible mix of a sophisticated minority in the cities and a largely poor and extremely conservative deeply religious mostly rural majority.
Their own military and intelligence services are a house divided amongst themselves as they are permeated with hardliners who are determined to ensure that Afghanistan continues as an unstable collection of fiefdoms ruled by warlords beholden to Pakistan. What's happening in Pakistan today is to all intents and purposes a type of civil war as the terror weapon they wrought is turning on them.
xlntcat
The president's decision will not change the fact that we do not have an additional 40,000 troops trained to send to Afghanistan or that the final deployment of the 21,000 troops does not deploy until December. President Obama's concern is devising a strategy defines the national interest of the U S not Pakistan and then to determine the resources needed to carry out that strategy. Nation building in country that has no ligitimate government and only a small, uncommitted military is probably not in our best interest.
robjh1
They burn our flag and we give them freedom. To hell with them. Let them all rot!
"and we are not saved..."
camfield
In reply to robjh1:
There are people in this country who burn our flag, and they are given freedom. There are people in this country who are doing everything in their power to destroy the Presidency, and they are allowed freedom. In Iraq or wherever else we can establish true freedom, certainly no one will be required to kiss our flag. Their societies also will continue to have wizened-minded, self-centered nuts of all sorts, just as ours does.
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Martyz42
The simple truth about Pakistan is that they can not be allowed to keep the bomb. Whatever argument you wish to put forth they have over the years always supported extremist Islamic movements & will continue to do so until they are taken over by them even more then they are now...
Can you imagine them demanding whatever or else they will blow up Israel, or New York or Miami or whatever, think about it because that is a REAL & PRESENT DANGER to everyone on this planet...
If you think Pakistan will not end up being the instrument of massive death to free people you are sleeping in a vacuum of ignorance. The question is not if, it is when the Taliban & it's friends get a hold of the Nukes.... They will get them & then India, Israel, Western Europe & possibly parts of the US will be blackmailed into who knows what....
Bottom line here is really simple, India with the tacit approval of the US as well as a few other Western powers will have to Nuke not only Pakistan's Nukes but also their ability to build new Nukes....
Yes it would kill millions of Pakistani's but sad to say that would be better then killing millions more of the free & innocent people's of the Western world... This is not something that needs a lot of thought, it is something that simply has to be done...
Yes India would be called all sorts of names in the press but behind closed doors they would be thanked... Every dictatorship on this planet would then think LONG & HARD before even thinking about getting the bomb themselves for fear of getting the same thing treatment Pakistan received....
Yes it is a horrible thing to think about, the killing of millions but it would in the end save millions more as well as thin out the populations of the area for the future.... The religious zealots will do that & more to the Western powers, count on it & this is a time that we must act before they do, simple & factual.
penscott
Certainly the destruction of Pakistan's nuclear capacity would be a marvelous accomplishment, to be greatly desired. The Pakistanis apparently know we feel that way, as any civilized people must, and that's why they consider us a threat.
Let's hope India takes action.
byersl
You are way off the reservation pal.
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sidd123
What you say is anything but factual.
What makes you're desire to kill anymore legitimate than anyone else?
You're not expressing rational ideas. Take a deep breath, go take a walk, have a muffin, do something.
L-ouverture
It wouldn't be so bad is sociopaths like Martyrz42 were rare in the West. Unfortunately, I think that ethical degeneration and racism has reached a level in the West (particulalrly America) where some minority of people would actually deem the murder of millions of innocent people of colour a good idea. The existence of people like Martyrz42 is partially why the West's mission to "fix the world" (via War on Terror, etc.) lacks any credibility whatsoever; how can you teach other nations to be more peaceful and harmonious when your own nations are filled with sick f---ks like Martyrz42, penscott and nevermind?
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sidd123
Elaborate on this human rights record....
The U.S. record hasn't been exactly squeaky clean. Native Americans, Mexicans, African Americans, Immigrant working class, Women, Chinese laborers, Japanese camps.....the list goes on.
KemCho
Israel is thinking about bombing Iran's nuclear capability. Why is USA not do the same for Pakistan's nuclear facilities? Both of these countries support terrorism or can not control them. Are Al-Quida and Taliban leaders better than Mullahs running Iran?
Quaxal
There are unhinged characters on the global stage, but why should some countries have the right to nuclear bombs and others don't? Why do some countries feel that they are morally responsible and others are not.
The one incident (x2) where nuclear bombs were used was by a state actor the US. Not quite sure what was used during Sadam's reign. Nuclear in the hands of stateless actors is a real worry. In the hands of state actors it is cause for concern but from a different perspective. Can they keep it safe and away from stateless actors.
Really you think Iran would use a bomb on Israel or Pakistan on India or vice versa. Saba rattling! It does not make sense since it would be whole scale suicide and I do not think the majority of people from any group in the world wish to depart in that manner. Everyone is jockeying for status. If thy neighbor has a nuclear bomb or capability though shalt up the antiques by getting a bigger one.
democracyforall
No one wants to see terrorists take over nukes.
We need to support the non-extremists.
Dolmance
Good. They've earned having to see the US as a threat. And if they don't get serious about the Taliban, Al Qaida and the people in their own security services who support these unspeakable movements, then they're going to lose everything.
And regarding the Pushtuns, they've basically turned Nazi. And they need to see going down that road leads to pain, pain and more pain.
Thank you.
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