Dangerous speak

THE report that three Texas congressmen, who recently returned from a visit to Pakistan, are suggesting US troops go in hot pursuit to attack targets inside Pakistani territory, smacks of the usual American arrogance that can only lead to counter-productive results. Talking to a local paper they said either Pakistan should do more “or we will be taking things into our own hands... If our troops are fired on, there will be hot pursuit into that territory.” This line of thinking would have made sense in case Pakistan was not cooperating with the US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan. There are some 85,000 Pakistani soldiers - more than double the number of US troops (about 34,000) in Afghanistan - on this side of the border trying to prevent the use of our tribal badlands as safe havens by the Taliban and pro-al Qaeda militants. That, though, is not to say that things are under control. On the contrary, Pakistan itself is in deep trouble on account of the activities of the Taliban and their sympathizers, who are challenging the writ of the state in the tribal belt as well as in large swathes of the settled areas. It is true that until a certain point in time most Pakistanis did believe that the fight against terrorism is not ‘our’ problem but ‘theirs’. Not any more. The brutality with which the extremists have been launching suicide attacks all over the country, including cities like Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, has brought home the message loud and clear that terrorism is as much a threat to the security of this country and safety of its people as it is to those who created this menace with their last Afghan war, leaving behind too many warriors without a cause.
Predictably, it did not take long for them to find a cause and turn on their former patrons, making Pakistan, once again, a frontline state in a new war in Afghanistan. As for “taking things into our own hands”, the truth of the matter is that the Americans have already been doing so, often with devastating effect. According to a Washington Post report, this year alone US Predator aircraft have carried out at least four missile attacks against suspected terrorists inside Pakistani territory, killing more than 45 people. Many of these were innocent victims, but their deaths were dismissed as ‘collateral damage’. A hot pursuit operation on June 10 ended up in US air strikes that killed 11 Frontier Constabulary soldiers - the same soldiers the US wants to train and equip to root out the extremists. The incident, of course, has generated deep anger and distrust in equal measure. Indeed, the US being the mightiest military of the world, does have colossal destructive power. It can certainly strike at will on Pakistani territory, but the question people like the Texas congressmen need to ponder is whether that will help them win the war in Afghanistan? Already, the US faces a humiliating defeat in Iraq, while in Afghanistan, the Taliban are hugely resurgent. Going it alone on targets within Pakistan will not bring victory any closer. It will alienate a crucial partner in the ongoing war, and further deepen anti-US sentiments among its people, making success that much more elusive. All of which would add to the chaos and confusion prevailing in this country, creating ideal conditions for the extremists to flourish in. It would be best for the Americans, therefore, to step back from such dangerous speak, and let Pakistan handle the situation through an appropriate mix of carrot and stick.

Mediterranean initiative

FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy’s grand design for a Mediterranean Union has been quietly denigrated elsewhere in Europe and the United States but it is already showing its worth. The formal meeting to discuss the new economic and political forum begins today with heads of state from most of the 22 countries of the Mediterranean littoral, and yesterday Sarkozy was demonstrating that this is potentially a very valuable new forum. After talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the French leader greeted Syrian President Bashar Assad and Lebanon’s Michel Suleiman at the Elysee Palace. France, along with Qatar, whose Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was also at the Elysee yesterday, is widely believed to have played an important role in persuading the Syrians to help end the constitutional impasse in Lebanon and persuade the political rivals to compromise and work together. It can be expected that Sarkozy urged continued reconciliation and greater cooperation between Damascus and Beirut in order to ensure that Lebanon does not once again descend into conflict. It could be argued that for this alone, the foundation meeting of the Mediterranean Union (MU) has been worthwhile. But today will offer further opportunities. Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert will be there, as will Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Olmert has said that he has no plans for a face-to-face encounter with Bashar but that is not to say that there will not be some contact between Syrian and Israeli delegations. The fact that the majority of Mediterranean states, with the exception of Libya, have agreed to attend the meeting has to be of some significance. Here is a new opportunity for neighboring countries to meet on neutral territory to discuss their differences and if necessary use the good offices of fellow MU states as intermediaries. That it itself is worthwhile.
Whether the MU as a new regional organization with economic and political aspirations has any greater future is a moot point. When Sarkozy first proposed it in May 2007, it seemed to be projected as a rival to the EU, but Brussels and, in particular, the Germans were quick to jump on the idea. The EU already has its Barcelona Process that is supposed to address the economic and social concerns of its Mediterranean neighbors. Sarkozy has, therefore, recast the MU as an adjunct to the EU. Turkey suspects the new grouping will be used to sideline its EU membership bid, which is opposed by France. Nevertheless Ankara has sent a delegation, if for no other reasons than that Turkey is an inveterate joiner of international bodies. The outcome of today’s meetings, both public and private, may demonstrate what sort of a future the MU really has, and it is most unlikely to prove stillborn. This is an initiative, at the very worst entirely harmless and which, whatever Sarkozy’s personal agenda, seems to have much to commend it and thus deserves international support.

—Khaleej Times