Alright guys Osama bin Laden's death won the poll so here we go:
Osama was a high target for America, he was the world's most wanted man. Ever since his death it has been good closure for those who lost in 9/11 and many are claiming that we are now winning the war on terror. What we have to realize is that a war on a group like Al Qaeda can not be won or lost and nobody ever has the lead. It's not like fighting another nation, literally anybody could be with them so there may never be a clear line for victory. We also have to realize that Pakistan may or may not know that the Quetta Shura (the leaders of Al Qaeda) are living in their country, and if they do, why are they housing them while being allies with the U.S.? A large question that has to be asked to all of the people in the cabinet and in the Pentagon is: how do they tell their citizens that they are giving millions of dollars in funds to Pakistan, and in return they house those that wish to destroy America?
Osama's death is a very significant victory. Not only was he still trying to organize attacks, he was a larger than life person and a great recruitment tool for al Quida.
ReplyDeletePakistan works both sides of the street, and we've known that for a long time. It has to control it's home grown Islamic fanatics by supporting the same elements in Afghanistan: Giving Pakistani Jihadists something to do over there so they don't focus on overthrowing Pakistan. But at the same time Paksitan has to crack down to prevent a serious threat to the government. Because Pakistan has nuclear weapons we have to support the government, even though some elements of the army and secret service support terrorists.
The goal must be to weed out the terror supporters while supporting those who want real change: No small task.
That is exactly the goal that needs to be accomplished, whether or not it can be done is another question though. As far as giving the Jihadists something to do goes, I don't think that would really work because the conspiracy states that the government is helping them. If this theory is true, then if we attempt to do what we did in Afghanistan then it may not work because then the country's military can retaliate saying that our troops don't need to be there because they are going to handle it themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe have reasons to believe that they were aware of Osama bin Laden and the rest of the Quetta Shura residing there and they did now share this intelligence with the ally that gives them the most funds. The government of Pakistan has actually lost trust in their intelligence chief, Amrullah Saleh, and he knew it. This caused him to quit, he specifically says that Pakistan knew about Al Qaeda there, they even had their phone numbers and their addresses; yet they never disclosed any of it. Since he has quit his job, Saleh has been a target of assassination for the Taliban and Al Qaeda. With that reasoning, offered by conspiracy theorists, then we cannot weed out the supporters because the government as a whole is the supporter.
Well, do I think that high levels of government in Pakistan knew about it? Yes, absolutely and there is evidence that proves it. However, in reference to Steve, we do need to play nicely in the sandbox(no pun intended) because of the weapons they have access to. What scares me is that there is going to be another one that rises in power and I'm worried that he will be worse than Osama.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think America is not making that much progress, or even trying to figure out if he was aided by the Pakistan Government. We were more focused on killing Osama for the moral of the American military and as a psychological defeat for terrorism. We are all well aware that the war on terror may never end, but this victory will give America, and the world, the strength to fight the good fight.
ReplyDeleteWho knew and when did they know it (shades of Watergagte). In Pakistan it seems the army and security branches are deeply divided. I believe the first tier of power did not know anything about Osama's location, but the second or third tier did. Therein lies the big problem.
ReplyDeleteI still say we need to support Pakistan out of self interest but we should start building a better relationship with India. Also out of self interest but also to nudge Pakistan into cleaning out it's house. How they do this without some kind of a intra-army bloodbath, I don't know. But it needs to be done.
Pakistan has nuclear weapons. This fact alone is enough to make sure the government, any government democratic or not, is at least reasonably friendly to America. A jihadist government take over in Pakistan is unthinkable: They may figure out how to use those weapons.
The nuclear threat is scary, but like you said it can be twisted to our advantage. Much of the war on terror is physiological warfare though. The threaten us, we threaten them and then everyone is scared. however, war is war and anything is fair so that’s when the question how far is too far comes into play.
ReplyDeleteObama recently stated that he will not second thought going into another country to eliminate other high ranking Quetta Shura members. This statement makes it look like Osama's death has given Obama a sense of confidence or pride. Now the worry is, will he rush more seals into areas when we do not have full intelligence, and result with an innocent death.
With all of these issues it seems the only smart thing to do is try and keep a smart relationship with Pakistan and hopefully that can slowly result in a clean government there. One thing the U.S. has to realize now is that, as funny as it may sound, with love anything can be accomplished, hate only leads to destruction. Therefore no matter how tough it may become, we need to stay friends and not become a monster when trying to kill a monster.