Old Project Avalon Forum (ARCHIVE) - View Single Post - Leaders in tribal borderland threaten to send fighters to battle U.S. in Afghanistan

Zarathustra · 09-16-2008, 03:16 AM

I have to admit I don't see it that way. The Taliban control a significant part of Ahfganistan right now, so to fight them there is no logical need to cross the Pakistani border. It seems to me that the incursions across the Pakistani border are meant to affect Pakistan, not Ahfganistan. the only thing I am not sure of yet is why. One possibility, looking back to the "sudden" end of the friendship between Musharaf and Bush, is that the Pakistanis have made it clear that they are no longer the "monkeys" of the U.S. in that region. Perhaps a coming alliance, both political and economic, with Russia, centered around the oil and gas pipelines in the region.

What I do not "buy" is the official U.S. talking points that we need to cross the Pakistani border in order to "root out" Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists. I don't pretend to know for sure, but my intellectual "gut" tells me that is a falsitude. This situation bears watching carefully, because the Russian and Chinese hands are involved here. If I am right this will develope relatively shortly into a situation where the Russian and Chinese nations will have a "say so".

09-16-2008, 03:16 AM	#5
Zarathustra Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Eastern U.S. Posts: 429	Re: Leaders in tribal borderland threaten to send fighters to battle U.S. in Afghanis I have to admit I don't see it that way. The Taliban control a significant part of Ahfganistan right now, so to fight them there is no logical need to cross the Pakistani border. It seems to me that the incursions across the Pakistani border are meant to affect Pakistan, not Ahfganistan. the only thing I am not sure of yet is why. One possibility, looking back to the "sudden" end of the friendship between Musharaf and Bush, is that the Pakistanis have made it clear that they are no longer the "monkeys" of the U.S. in that region. Perhaps a coming alliance, both political and economic, with Russia, centered around the oil and gas pipelines in the region. What I do not "buy" is the official U.S. talking points that we need to cross the Pakistani border in order to "root out" Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists. I don't pretend to know for sure, but my intellectual "gut" tells me that is a falsitude. This situation bears watching carefully, because the Russian and Chinese hands are involved here. If I am right this will develope relatively shortly into a situation where the Russian and Chinese nations will have a "say so".