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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs
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To: TimF who wrote (29549)9/15/2008 6:27:20 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof  Read Replies (1) of 71588
 
Re: "Interesting thought,"

Ya... I've posted it a couple of times.

NO COUNTRY wants to fight a "two front war", no nation wants to have to defend in opposite directions. :-)

And, the preoccupation with the LARGER and more militarily STRONG India has been at the very center of Pakistan's identity ever since the founding of the modern Pak. nation.

Already outnumbered to the East by India... a significant threat from their WEST (from either Iran, or from a resurgent Afghani nation that might side with India) would tip the Pak. military situation over toward the 'hopeless' side of the ledger.

That is WHY (as I have pointed out several times) military analysts have long pointed-out that Pakistan has sought to keep the Afghan nation "weak" and compliant --- so that it can either be counted as an ally, or at worst not a threat.

That is one of the BIG reasons why the ISI has always nurtured and supported the Taliban.

Re: "...but in the long run doing this may bring about exactly what they are trying to avoid."

I agree. But, on the other-hand... it might not. (After all: it has succeeded --- from their point-of-view --- for a long time now....)

Re: "Afghanistan doesn't have much reason other than this to be an enemy of Pakistan. Its not going to try to seize Pakistan's territory...."

I would DISAGREE with some of that, but I would first formulate the issue in somewhat different words.

Go back to the article I posted, and notice where they glancingly refer to the very LARGE PASTUN population (dominant in the Southern half of Afghanistan, and in South and West Pakistan).....

The Pastun Tribe is the single LARGEST ethnic group in *both countries* --- and yet it is divided by the international boundary between the two.

Their is an ACTIVE Pashtun irredentist movement that wants the Pashtuns to be UNITED (and also dominant in both countries).

Right now they are "kept down" because the division lowers their power and influence.

Pastun nationalism is the *SECOND GREATEST FEAR* (after India) that Pakistan's rulers have traditionally faced.

By keeping Afghanistan WEAK and DIVIDED (bt supporting the Taliban), Pakistan has long had a solution to both it's #1 and it's #2 greatest national security threats!
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