www.meidling-forum.at Foren-Übersicht www.meidling-forum.at

 
 FAQFAQ   SuchenSuchen   MitgliederlisteMitgliederliste   BenutzergruppenBenutzergruppen   RegistrierenRegistrieren 
 ProfilProfil   Einloggen, um private Nachrichten zu lesenEinloggen, um private Nachrichten zu lesen   LoginLogin 

Undermining Ties with Pakistan and dealing with Iran!

 
Neues Thema eröffnen   Neue Antwort erstellen    www.meidling-forum.at Foren-Übersicht -> ASIEN
Vorheriges Thema anzeigen :: Nächstes Thema anzeigen  
Autor Nachricht
Eberndorfer



Anmeldungsdatum: 10.09.2006
Beiträge: 2267

BeitragVerfasst am: So Sep 21, 2008 1:06 am    Titel: Undermining Ties with Pakistan and dealing with Iran! Antworten mit Zitat

Undermining Ties with Pakistan!

Pakistan is again in the eye of storm. The sanctity of its western borders is being violated by US and Allied forces in the name of hunting down hardened Taleban and Al Qaeda elements. And this goes on as Islamabad experiences the dawn of democracy and the newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari and the infant government of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani try to create a space for it.

To the surprise of all and sundry, Washington unveiled its so-called new policy on September 3 to go for hot pursuit inside Pakistan’s territory to eliminate high-value Al Qaeda targets. The decision to go solo not only shocked the new democratic dispensation of Pakistan, but also forced the military leadership to reiterate in public that any more violation of its sovereignty will be taken as an act of war.

And then came the diplomatic wheeling-dealing and a couple of surprise visits to Islamabad last week of senior US Army offcials as well as Allied Forces leadership. The US o?cials pledged that Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty will be upheld and all future military operations will be undertaken only after bringing Islamabad on board.

However, the NATO forces have categorically resolved they will not undertake any operation across the international borders inside Pakistan.

The pledges are welcome only if words follow the deeds. But, unfortunately, Pakistan’s troublesome western borders continue to experience drone ?ights and an onslaught of misguided missiles.

Moreover, with the passage of time it seems the US forces have taken on the task of crossing over into Pakistan and fire- fighting.

Such instances not only make a mockery of international commitments but also put Pakistan in an awkward position – given its role as a frontline state in defending Western and US interests in the so-called war on terror.

Thankfully, Pakistan has passed the litmus test of putting its democratic institutions in order and now is on the verge of making them work as per public expectations. Both President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani have committed themselves to the supremacy of parliament and are backed by political forces on both sides of the divide. An upbeat media and a striving civil society share the same denominator with the government of the day.

In critical times like these, the US adventurism can prove counterproductive and compel Pakistan to walk away from its commitments on the highly contested war on terror.

Washington and its Western allies must not compromise their strategic relationship with Pakistan by their trigger-happy approach.


... And Dealing with Iran!

Several former US secretaries of state have cautioned President Bush of dangers ahead in maintaining America’s leadership role on the world stage offering a piece of advice to the incoming president to engage Iran and avoid ruptures with Russia and China.

Former secretaries Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher, James Baker and Henry Kissinger warned the United States leadership of impending threats in dealing with a surging Russia, and stressed that there were larger strategic interests at stake.

Speaking at George Washington University recently, the former secretaries argued that the White House should closely work with its allies and engage Teheran and Damascus in a constructive dialogue in the larger interest of world peace.

Republican Powell and Democrat Albright spelt out the road map for engaging Iran as they said, “Let’s get together and talk about nuclear weapons …start a dialogue at a low level and let it grow over time”.

Similarly, Baker and Kissinger were cautious as they asked the future administration to avoid rupturing of ties with Russia over frivolous issues such as Georgia, and with China over human rights and Tibet.

Even though most of the top former diplomats retain their bias towards Israel as a corner stone of the US foreign policy, they have been, at the same time, prudent in calling on the next president to desist from furthering the neo-cons’ agenda of confronting Iran and its likes for pure political considerations.

Surprisingly, two former Republican secretaries Powell and Baker have been bold enough to say Barack Obama’s election “would send a powerful message to the rest of the world”.

The agenda of change that the former secretaries spelt out by coincidence remains very close to the heart of Democratic presidential candidate Obama.

In other words, the men who ran the State Department in their times admit that all is not well with the current American foreign policy, and things should change for better.

Pointing out that engagement with Syria and Iran should be the priority of the US foreign policy, the top diplomats nonetheless warn Teheran that Washington would use its ‘strategic deterrent’ against Iran if it didn’t ‘cooperate’ on the nuclear power front.

The most sensitive and inspiring piece of advice for the next US president was to watch out that he “must work” to restore a sense of confidence in the United States of America, and let allies “know that America is reaching out to them”.

Goes without saying, this is what is missing in the US foreign policy today.

http://70.86.22.210/khaleejtimes/kt/kt/2008/09/20/index.shtml?Search=Y&ArtId=034_005
Nach oben
Benutzer-Profile anzeigen Private Nachricht senden
Beiträge der letzten Zeit anzeigen:   
Neues Thema eröffnen   Neue Antwort erstellen    www.meidling-forum.at Foren-Übersicht -> ASIEN Alle Zeiten sind GMT + 2 Stunden
Seite 1 von 1

 
Gehe zu:  
Du kannst keine Beiträge in dieses Forum schreiben.
Du kannst auf Beiträge in diesem Forum nicht antworten.
Du kannst deine Beiträge in diesem Forum nicht bearbeiten.
Du kannst deine Beiträge in diesem Forum nicht löschen.
Du kannst an Umfragen in diesem Forum nicht mitmachen.


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group