Once More Into the Breach: Pakistan's War

Here is the latest from our friend at POMIL He makes some good points I would like to elaborate on.

10 November 2007

Do we want Pakistan to commit suicide? Could it be that President Musharraf is more straightforward about his war on TERRORISTS (groups of people) than are we in our War on Terror (a war tactic)?

Internet searches of print media indicate there is strong Saudi Wahabi support of al Qaeda and the Taliban in the operation of mosques and madrassas in Pakistan, and in terrorist activities in the region.

History tells us that, in Gaza, adoption of the democratic election process put the terrorists in power; and in Tunisia the same thing nearly happened, until the democratic election process was suspended.

Why, then, do we tell President Musharraf he should not declare martial law or postpone elections, and that he - unlike our president - cannot be both the leader of his country and its military commander-in-chief? Mr Musharraf often appears in civilian clothes; and our president symbolically wears a uniform - e.g., aboard an aircraft carrier after having piloted a warplane.

Might it be appropriate for our president to pressure the House of Saud to demilitarize its Wahabi terrorists?

Francis Baker
POMIL Research Analyst
Giarmy@earthlink.net

His point about democracy is quiet poignant. Democracy is not the end all political system that politicians want to make it out to be. It can and has been just as screwy as any other form of governance, it just has a bit of a better record at the moment. For any system to be successful it need only do four things:

1. Protect personal property rights.

2. Guard against enemies foreign and domestic.

3. Ensure the common currency is sound.

4. Dispense justice fairly without regard to status or reputation.

Everything else is gravy. With those four things peace and prosperity will abound. So to be critical of Pakistan because it is not as democratic as we would like it to be is missing the point.

His chastising of those who are calling for President Musharraf to give up his being head of the military is spot on. Our President is chief executive and Commander-in-Chief also, always has been. Pretty hypocritical for US politicians and officials to act like Musharraf is somehow engaged is skullduggery for holding both positions also.

As for the Saudis, they have been playing both sides against he middle for a long time. If some diplomatic pressure needs to be applied in that region of the world, perhaps that is a good place to start.