* In the wake of the finding and killing of the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, the biggest question that I see facing the United States going forward is our ongoing foreign relationship with Pakistan. Many expected that Bin Laden would be found in the rugged mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the rule of law is scarce and tribal warlords control the utmost impossible of terrains. Very few expected Bin Laden to be found in the heart of Pakistan, within two Kilometers of what has been called their Country’s equivalent of the West Point Military Academy, and less than 100 Kilometers from the Nation’s Capital. There will be great pressure within Congress to cut foreign aid to Pakistan in response to what will be described as either gross incompetence or implicit cooperation with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. The truth is that we will never know who knew what and when in Pakistan, but that will not stop the drums of ignorance from continuing their steady crescendo.
To toss such a crucial relationship to the wind would be the apex of foolhardiness. Pakistan is by far the more important strategic interest in the region, not the Country we are actually occupying and propping up in Afghanistan. Pakistan is more populated, developed economically, inter-connected to the global community, and in a more significant location. Did I mention that they also have nuclear weapons? We must continue to do what we can to support stability and continuity in Pakistan. As House Leader John Boehner has suggested, the alternative of letting such a critical Country fall into utter chaos could very well be catastrophic on multiple levels.
This is not to suggest that we should not work to reform and improve our relationship with the Muslim majority State. Pakistan is far from the most reliable ally we have and is nothing close to a pure white dove on many, many issues. They are a country with their own demons to wrestle with, but they are a sovereign Nation that will chart their own course going forward. An unfortunate fact about foreign relations is that you don’t get to choose who the regional power brokers you are working with are. You have to do the best you can with the associations you have.
* A pre-recorded tape of Bin Laden is supposedly in the pipeline and ready to be released posthumously. Please do not be fooled into any screwball conspiracies about him actually still being alive. As for the question of whether pictures of the deceased terror mastermind should be released? For our collective security and the safety of our troops serving overseas, I wish that people would just be satisfied he is dead and gone. Other then satisfying some curiosity and giving people a lasting image of finality, the distribution of such photos will do more strategic harm than good. I fully expect the pressure will build until they are in fact released. And the vocal minority who are denying the official story will continue on in the face of all evidence to the contrary, so it won’t matter to them anyways.
* It does speak to our relationship with Pakistan that we did not even tip them off right before the operation to get Bin Laden began that we would be doing something in the area. I understand that we proceeded with an abundance of caution in taking out such an elusive and important figure, but the total lack of cooperation with the Country we were going after him in tells us that there are multitudes of reasons not to trust them completely. And that is not just Pakistan’s problem. It is ours as well. As I have implied here before, the war in Afghanistan is more about Pakistan than it is about Afghanistan. The US must set a course to find a delicate balance between withdrawing combat forces from the region, while continuing to promote stability and secular rule in the area. The madmen and the violent fundamentalists in the region are many and active. The cooler and more rational heads must prevail and rule effectively, strategically, and humanely or the consequences for the world will be dire indeed. Competence must be the Order of the Day.
* I am meeting the instantaneous claims that torture of Al Qaeda operatives held at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp lead directly to finding Bin Laden with extreme skepticism. I think it is a blatant attempt by some on the Right to reclaim some moral and national security high ground in the wake of these momentous events. It can never be totally disproven, but I have my logical doubts over the oft-repeated and vehement claims of such convenient chain of intel that has been professed directly and in totality in the immediate aftermath of Bin Laden’s demise. If these guys were so smart and well clued in on the terror mastermind’s whereabouts, why did they not get him years ago? It seems to be a tactic I have noticed before where you float out such an opportune premise immediately as the story breaks and everyone is paying attention. As such, your spin becomes lodged into everyone’s conscious as established, legitimate, and historical. I guarantee you that no matter how Bin Laden met his end, it would have been tied back to Guantanamo and Torture, as an ex post facto justification for such.
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