A team headed by Bruce Riedel, a former CIA Middle East expert, asked to overhaul US policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan, has concluded that stabilising Pakistan is now the higher priority, a source familiar with the discussions has revealed.
The report, prepared in conjunction with the National Security Council, will focus on the need to co-opt moderate Taliban elements and shut down militant safe havens in Pakistan’s he lawless northwest border region. It will also urge a sharp increase in military and civil assistance.
But The Sunday Telegraph has learned that the need to prevent a repeat of the September 11 attacks has become the driving force behind the review, which could be published as early as this week.
Mr Riedel, who served on the NSC under three previous presidents, believes that unless serious action is taken, Pakistan will become a “terrorist university”, posing a far greater threat to the security of the US and Europe than Afghanistan before the September 11 atrocities.
Recent “apocalyptic” intelligence on the situation in Pakistan has sent shockwaves through the upper echelons of the Obama administration and convinced Mr Riedel’s review team that radicals trained in Pakistan are the greatest threat to Western security.
One White House aide emerged from an intelligence briefing on Pakistan three days after Mr Obama’s inauguration to exclaim: “Holy s—t!”
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
'Apocalyptic' Intelligence on the Situation in Pakistan
From Little Green Footballs:
Apparently, Barack Obama didn’t ask them to unclench their fists nicely enough: Obama told: help Pakistan or risk a repeat of 9/11 in America or Britain.
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17 comments:
That's ok, Zero is on Leno show and he knows what he's doing and where the priorities are.
He does, huh? Coulda fooled me. And you, too, no doubt.
Wait. Zero is on Leno? The Messiah is on Late Night TeeVee? Ain't he supposed to be running a stimuless or sumpin'? Or are you talkin' about a different Zero?
Is there another?
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/03/16/leno-obama.html
GOLD!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DppivPLjx8
Flippin' awesome.
I wonder if Leno will bring this one up or just give zero a free pass.
Oh this is absurd. A sitting President on Late Nite TeeVee? This is what America has really come to? Talk about cheapening The Office.
If anyone, anywhere, had any doubts about calling him the Celebrity President this seal it.
How's he gonna do it without his Precious (read:teleprompter)?
Andre re: your Meet The Press bid -- she hasn't a fuckin' clue what she's saying.
I haven't watched TeeVee since election night (guns in the house could be bad for the TeeVee)and I thought it was bad then. That was horrible especially for Meet the Press.
I can see the poor soul is completely helpless but the thing is this is Zero's much promised team, who is not even completed after 50 days of presidency, let alone 1 year of campaigning. At this particular moment in time does the USA have a Surgeon General? Just curious.
What conceivable purpose can more "aid" for Pakistan do , absent a govt there which will kill the terrorists, end madrassahs, replace them with secular schools, oppose the MMA and crazy Deobandi and Wahabbi Imams until they give up all but democratic and secular means, and THEN accept aid which will be used for the benefit of the people ..schools, roads, job creation?
Nation building?
170 million pakistanis? 60-80 million of whom we would consider to be american and you know who hating freaks?
PEW:
"Similarly, an October 2008 IRI poll found that 60% of Pakistanis characterized religious extremism as a serious problem. However, the same poll found limited support for using the Pakistani military to combat extremist groups.
Just 38% of Pakistanis supported using the Army to fight extremists in NWFP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), while half opposed such efforts. About one-third (34%) said they would like to see the Army confront al Qaeda, while 52% disagreed with this view. There was even less enthusiasm for taking on the Taliban -- 30% favored this approach, 56% opposed it."
Since we don't have the determination to undertake any pre-emptive actions IF WE EVEN HAD A CLUE, we are going to be waiting, without the initiative, dependent on the, of all things, the ISI (RUKIDDING?), and then go out and kill A LOT OF PEOPLE, AFTER.
Epa,
We are continuing our policy of pre-emptive strikes within Pakistan.
You must be talking about a larger form of pre-emption. And, I've never heard anyone, except Obama, discuss such an idea. Not that I ever actually thought he'd do it.
MR,
Here's another way to look at our celebrity President (which is an idea I disdain as much or more than you):
If he is a celebrity, then he will be subject to the celebrity machine, which must endlessly crank out narratives of pain, shame, degradation, retribution, etc. on even the flimsiest of stories.
In other words, we will be treated to stories of our celebrity President's wife disatisfaction with the marriage. Of Obama's interest in the new hot Assistant Director in the budget office, of Malika's boy-crazy antics, etc. etc.
In short, he and his family will be made a fool of.
The more he sets himself up for it, with appearances on Leno, etc., the more he will be made a fool of.
And, no one deserves it more than him.
Pasto..Reapers firing Hellfires ain't gonna do it.
It's my opinion that winning in Afghanistan is IMPOSSIBLE as long as the NW territories and Swat/Badaur are under Talib control/influence/denial.
We don't need to invade Pakistan, or attack Pakistan proper, but we may need to put those areas flat on their backs, and call it a peace.
It depends on our determination to end this phase of this war.
And bring out TWO DEAD BODIES, or alive and in chains, behind a chariot in lower Manhattan for the crowds to jeer
Ok, so by putting them flat on their backs, you mean we need a massive bombing campaign in Waziristan, and I'm guessing the two bodies you're asking for are Bin Laden and Zawahiri.
Pasto -- re: Celeb President -- I hadn't thought of it that way. The more he sets himself up for it, his very own adoring media will end up destroying him.
Brilliant. Pastorius, you magnificent bastrd!
Ultimately...CORRECTIMUNDO.
Unless Pakistan suddenly decides they'd rather exert sovereignty themselves.
Something they have never done.
P & E -- re: Waziristan, Swat etc. Yes, the key to Afghanistan is through the NW territories but besides a massive bombing campaign I think we'll still need to put alot of boots on the ground there. And the Paks aren't going to do it. Otherwise these guys will run & hide until it's safe to come out again. But the bombing might at least convince the locals to give up the bad guys. Maybe.
I'm not even going to go into how we've become squeamish about conducting a war.
As for parading Bin Laden and Zawahiri through Manhattan they wouldn't make it 50 ft before they were torn limb from limb, which is okay as long as they give us 20 minutes to sell tickets to the event.
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