Viewpoint: Pakistan's Last Chance
Abstract
Next to the global economic meltdown, the implosion of Pakistan tops the list of urgent problems demanding immediate attention. A new strategy for Pakistan is long overdue in light of the continued expansion of terrorism and nuclear weapons production in a country that could soon be a failed state. The current U.S. policy toward Pakistan is failing, but the tools are in place for the Obama administration to help Pakistan save itself. A nuclear armed Pakistan unable to contain al Qaeda and those who share its objectives poses an unacceptable threat. The terrorists' immediate target is Pakistan's fragile democratic government, but their ambitions are global and threaten everyone who does not accept their noxious ideology. Predictably, efforts by Pakistan's government to negotiate peace deals with the extremists have enabled the Taliban to consolidate their positions and prepare new attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Afghanistan itself is a mess, with opium production that fuels drug addiction and terrorism around the world, and the Karzai government barely able to control its own capitol of Kabul. While it might be tempting to turn our backs on this hornet's nest, we do so at our peril. Pakistan needs help to save itself from militant Islamic extremism, and the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) is not the answer. The new plan must defeat the destructive trends emanating from Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) -- the remote and long-neglected region on the Pakistan-Afghan border where al Qaeda has established a beachhead. The new plan would initiate the next phase of the GWOT under a more unifying banner such as the global alliance for peace and progress. We would shift the predominantly military focus of our counterterrorism efforts to encompass the full range of economic and political tools necessary to change the direction of this troubled territory. But first, we must use military force to remove the Taliban and al Qaeda from the FATA.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA517420
Entities
People
- Zachary S. Davis
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School