For all the talk of "smart power," President Obama is pressing down the same path of failure in Pakistan marked out by George Bush. The realities suggest need for drastic revision of U.S. strategic thinking....
The grossest error by Fuller is that he attempts to compare Pakistan in regard to two different USA administrations.
There is no comparison.
Bush's fatal error was to allow Rumsfeld to call Musharraf an ally while providing billions of dollars US to him which he used to arm his military to oppose India in Kashmir. That fact speaks eons to the loyality of Musharraf. India is an ally of the USA and The West. For Rumsfeld to have provided monies for 'renting' air space over Pakistan that was then allowed to be used to purchase Chinese weapons for a confrontation with India over Kashmir is an outrage. There is no way that should have happened.
So to say the relationship with Pakistan TODAY is the same as Pakistan in 2001 is a gross error in analysis. The leadership in Pakistan now is a return of the government before the Musharraf coup. Musharraf is no longer in power. He won't be back either. He was stripped of his General status that lead to a vulnerability in elections that removed him completely from any authority within Pakistan. Mussharraf was the one that nutured the Taliban back to life.
There is simply no valid comparison of Pakistan under Bush's Musharraf and the one we witness today under Obama's Zardari. No comparison at all.
Secondly, this is a country of warlords. The ethnicity of any member of the Pakistan populous is nearly mute when one realizes 'the warlord influence' is what turns the loyalty of any Pashtun. The Pashtun are not as offensive and aggressive as the Taliban. The Pashtun are survivors. They follow the power of the leadership that surrounds them. When the USA first invaded Afghanistan in 2001 the Pashtun were among the first to welcome them and assist the CIA in providing donkeys for their travel.
Shortly after the USA drove the Taliban and al Qaeda from influence in Afghanistan the Pashtun were elated to shave their beards, send their daughters to school, reopen libraries and open television parlors that showed 'racey' films to men.
There is a Tajek-Pashtun that has been leading Afghanistan out of the dark ages for most of his life. He was once a member of the Northern Alliance. He believes in the USA's mission in Afghanistan and believes in the liberation of his nation. He is running for President in 2009 and if there is any one person that deserves to be President of Afghanistan with vision, it is he. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah's influence as President of Afghanistan would be untarnished by corruption and void of warlord priorities. He would be a visionary for his nation with unyielding goals to peace and prosperity.
He enjoys connectedness with the Afghan Diaspora in the USA. It acts as a balance to his reality and an impetus to his leadership.
Civilization is possible for Pakistan and Afghanistan. The people of these countries want it. The region is capable of reducing violence even in Kashmir. But, it will not be possible without the influence of the USA. The Taliban and al Qaeda can be defeated, but, we have to 'keep our eye on the ball.'
