Post #5 - Pakistan and You

In a recent news article released by the Associated Press, the journalist writes that "a growing number of U.S. intelligence, defense and diplomatic officials have concluded that there's little hope of preventing nuclear-armed Pakistan from disintegrating into fiefdoms controlled by Islamist warlords and terrorists, posing the a greater threat to the U.S. than Afghanistan's terrorist haven did before 9/11." As many of you already know, Pakistan is a nuclear-armed nation and, at the moment, one of the more America-friendly nations in the region (despite U.S. air strikes on their soil). However, the possibility of this nation breaking down into warlord-run fiefdoms is a growing concern, and has the potential to be a real disaster in these already turbulent times.

Indeed, a Pentagon advisor who chose to remain anonymous so he may speak freely said that he believes Pakistan is moving toward a situation where the extremists control virtually all of the countryside and the government controls only the urban centers," he continued. "If you look out 10 years, I think the government will be overrun by Islamic militants."

I am forced to wonder what Obama will do about this. Having run on a platform of peace and non-conflict, America's President has a difficult choice ahead of him. If these experts are correct in their assessment, a "Talabanized Pakistan" will be a reality in a decade. The plausibility of this scenario is made even more so when we consider Pakistan's weak civilian government, which seems unwilling to cooperate on the issues that divide their nation. Pakistan is plagued with sectarian hatred, ineffective police, a broken court system, widespread corruption, endemic poverty, and a deepening financial crisis, and all of these things only fuel the violence and non-cooperation in this war-torn, poverty stricken nation.

Preventing Pakistan from radicalizing may be another heavy burden on Obama's already full agenda. If these experts are correct in their assessment of the situation, a nuclear-armed, warlord-run Pakistan makes the situation in Afghanistan look merry. Is it just me, or does it feel like the world is stuck in an ever-going episode of "The Twilight Zone"?