Pakistan Military Growing Wary of United States?
Husain Haqqani
Traditionally the United States has had a strong relationship with Pakistan’s military. And Pakistan’s military has had a proclivity for overthrowing the civilian government, and for operating itself autonomously even while civilians are formally in charge. And their strong relationship with the US was part and parcel of how that works. More recently, the US has been trying to turn over a new leaf and build a broader relationship with Pakistan aimed at improving ordinary Pakistanis’ view of the United States and bolstering civilian governance.
Meanwhile, via Jason Zengerle, Farah Stockman writes that Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington hasn’t been home in eight months because he’s afraid of being targeted by physical violence aimed at charging him with being too pro-American:
Samina Ahmed, an Islamabad-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, said the attacks on Haqqani were carefully orchestrated by the military to weaken the government he represents. She predicted more will come.
“These are the first rumblings of the storm,” she said. “This is the beginning of the military trying to take down this civilian government.”
If I were the Pakistani military I would, official statements to the contrary aside, be skeptical that American policymakers would actually follow through on threats to seriously oppose a coup.
16 Responses to “Pakistan Military Growing Wary of United States?”
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November 4th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Why is it we never install true puppet regimes in countries where they would actually be vital to our national interest. No, instead we throw coups so that some random fruit, coffee, or oil company can make 10 million dollars and end up with an entire continent that hates and reviles us to the point where they assume it’s an evil CIA plot if their president catches the flu.
The CIA really, really, really sucks as an actual intelligence agency. It only works as a fascist arm of USA corporations, and actually outright causes trouble for America. Hell, the biggest story of the last decade is how almost nobody anywhere in our foriegn policy apparatus actually has the best interests of America and its people at heart. Everyone wants to get rich serving Goldman Sachs and Haliburton. Nobody actually wants to do intelligence work.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
If I were the Pakistani military I would, official statements to the contrary aside, be skeptical that American policymakers would actually follow through on threats to seriously oppose a coup.
I would also be skeptical, but notwithstanding that skepticism I might well think that a coup would not be wise at this juncture. Even if the US doesn’t oppose the coup, I doubt the next military government in Pakistan will be as well-fed on American aid as the last one was. Things have gotten so out of hand in Afghanistan that we’re pretty much just bombing shit with drones at this point; stability on the Pak side of the border (which would hardly be guaranteed no matter the government in Islamabad) isn’t such a high priority for America these days. So the reason we won’t oppose the coup is identical with the reason why we won’t keep funneling cash to whichever side survives.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Military junta may very well be the most logical development there. They are in a civil war, after all.
November 4th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I realize things change, especially when it comes to new regime changes, but do you really think Pakistan can ever be trusted given the double dealing they’ve done since the Russians occupied Afghanistan? Billions and more billions have been spent by the US trying to get Pakistan’s government to use the ISI for something other than terrorism in the Kashmir and against India. They have protected Osama bin Laden time and again and allowed al Qaida and the Taliban to flourish for over a decade, even after tean OBL orchestrated the murder of thousands on American soil. Kudos to Hilary for expressing the frustration, anger and disappointment Americans feel with a government and a people that have accomplished nothing and promised everything regarding ending the safe haven for terrorists. The money has been wasted and now more lives are ending because no one in high office suggested we dump Pakistan as ‘allies in the war on terrorism’ and put them on the terrorist country list.
No more aid. No more trying to get them to understand that the terrorist fundamentalists they protect will turn on them in force aided by their own citizens. When that happens, the US and allies will bomb the shit out of the country because just having nuclear weapons makes you a target when you’ve been taken over by anti-American terrorists. Iran – watch out!
November 4th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
abb1, more like a never-ending civil war.
The Pushtun will never submit to control by the central government.
And the Punjabis and Sindhis would rather gargle bullets than cave to a group of bastards who have spent the last three thousand years raping, burning and pillaging their way across the plains.
Ergo, civil war until de facto or even de jure partition, or complete obliteration of one of the two parties.
November 4th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
This jackass doesn’t want to go home because he knows that three times traitors can’t be trusted — the man is a snake, and only goes towards what is warm.
November 4th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Greg, no, it was actually quite good and stable under Musharraf. As most commenters here, you’re assigning far too much significance to all this imaginary ethnic stuff.
I know a few Pashtuns, they are normal people no different from you and me, they have no more problem with a central government than you and me, nor do they care about the last three thousand years any more than you and me. Well, I’m assuming you’re a normal sane person.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Maybe, but I would also keep in mind that the US is getting more from Zardari’s government in terms of action against the FATA insurgency than it ever got from Musharraf. It’d be risky to prop up another dictator under those conditions so soon after the first one was deposed.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
the US is getting more from Zardari’s government in terms of action against the FATA insurgency than it ever got from Musharraf.
Considering that that insurgency, like the Kashmir insurgency, and the many, many other nasty things afflicting Pakistan and that Pakistan afflicts upon the rest of world, is the product of the military or more properly the ISI, this surprises me exactly zero.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
http://pragmatic.nationalinterest.in/2009/11/04/why-fight-my-muslim-brethren/
The average Pakistani soldier has already psychologically crossed over to the Jehadi side. It is impossible to convince him to undertake military action against his co-religionist brethren…..There are many who believe that this is all a figment of fertile Indian imagination and a professional Pakistan army faces no such challenge. For those naysayers, here are a couple of slides from the presentation given by a Pakistan army officer, Major Ali Iqbar in a Workshop on Counterinsurgency Leaders held at US Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center, Fort Leavenworth from 27 to 29 October this year. Major Iqbar was the operations staff officer of 315 Brigade in Swat when the Pakistan army moved in there for Operation Rah-e-Haq in 2007.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
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November 5th, 2009 at 1:07 am
If I were the Pakistani military I would, official statements to the contrary aside, be skeptical that American policymakers would actually follow through on threats to seriously oppose a coup
I’d say Musharraf’s rule was a bit too recent for the army to stage a coup but, then again, the Republicans apparently believe 9 months after George Bush is long enough for them to plan a comeback.
November 5th, 2009 at 4:27 am
One difference: The GOP thinks that this is their country, and recent election results are a mistake. The Pakistani believes the same thing, but in their case they’re right.
These “rumblings” mark the end of the Pakistani military’s patient wait for us to leave. Perhaps they, like the American left, expected a far more dovish performance from Obama.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:53 am
If I were the Pakistani military I would, official statements to the contrary aside, be skeptical that American policymakers would actually follow through on threats to seriously oppose a coup.
Or even demand that they tell us where AQ leadership are hiding.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Stunningly cold realpolitik analysis from abb1. As long as it doesn’t involve Israel.
November 8th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
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