Kerry Responds To Pakistani Unrest Over Aid Bill

By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) responded Tuesday to the chilly reception from Pakistan toward the Kerry-Lugar aid bill, saying that the committee intends to include a document alongside the $7.5 billion aid bill aimed at assuaging Pakistani concerns.

“[The document] affirms the primary intention of the Enhanced Partnership With Pakistan Act, it demonstrates the American people’s long-term commitment to the people of Pakistan,” said Kerry during a press briefing with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

The Chairman added that the document stresses that the U.S. respects the sovereignty of Pakistan’s government and military.

The bill, which will provide the full $7.5 billion over a five year span, has faced sharp criticism from Pakistan’s parliament, military and civilian population for exerting too much U.S. influence in the country.

Afghanistan And Pakistan Stability Linked, Say Experts

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service

In a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday, expert witnesses agreed that the U.S. should neither abandon Afghanistan or substantially increase U.S. military forces in Afghanistan in regard to a stable Pakistan.

Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. said, “a precipitous withdrawal would repeat the strategic mistake of the 1990s when the U.S. abandoned Afghanistan to the chaos that nurtured al-Qaida. Nor should the West risk being trapped in a Vietnam style quagmire, a war without end and with no guarantee of success.”

Steve Coll, President of the New America Foundation proposed a strategy that falls between withdrawal and militarization.

“It would make clear that the Taliban will never be permitted to take power by force in Kabul or major cities. It would seek and enforce stability in Afghan population centers, emphasize politics over combat, urban stability over rural patrolling, Afghan solutions over Western ones and it would incorporate Pakistan more directly into creative and persistent diplomatic efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and the region”, said Coll.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) introduced the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act, which Congress passed earlier this year, that will triple non-military assistance to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year for the next five years.

Committee Chairman Kerry noted that “[U.S.] actions in Afghanistan will influence events in Pakistan and we must take that into account. But the ultimate choices about the country’s future will be made by the Pakistanis themselves.”

Experts Advise U.S. To Focus On Relationship With Pakistan’s People

By Annie Berman-Talk Radio News Service

A panel of experts at the Cato Institute said that a key step in strengthening the relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. is to convince the Pakistani people to favor the United States.
“We face a huge obstacle of not really understanding each other and definitely not trusting each other,” said Wendy Chamberlin, the former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan and President of the Middle East Institute. “We need to help that Pakistanis put human safety and security first, this means a significant investment in local police, community police, because that is where people are protected and through local police you have the better [intelligence] for the kind of insurgencies we are facing.”

According to Chamberlin, peaceful relations between the US and Pakistan could be impeded by a number of other risks including shaky military relations, the role of religion, deadly drone attacks, and a history of miscommunication.

Mukhtar Kahn, an analyst at the Jamestown Foundation, described the Pakistani population as a strong, civil society.

“There is a strong middle class.  Pakistan has a population of 170 million people, and around 60 million people are the middle class.  Most of them are against the Taliban,” said Khan.

“One of the most important things is that Pakistan has a very vibrant media these days. Pakistan has more than 50 independent TV channels...[people] are debating everyday...People are participating in those debates,” Khan added.

In order to improve relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, Kahn suggested increasing public diplomacy, cultural exchange programs, and strategic communication among the Pakistani people regarding the threat of the Taliban.

Petraeus: Beating Terrorists Requires More Than Counterterrorist Operations

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

General David Petraeus, Commander of the United States Central Command, warned that military missions against terrorist groups are comprehensive and require more than force.

 “Countering terrorism requires more than counter-terrorist operations,” said Petraeus today in a speech to the Center of a New American Security.  The General went on to discuss the implications of shifting military attention from Iraq to Afghanistan and Pakistan and how the U.S.’ experience in Iraq should optimize the efficiency of military operations in other countries.

“As we turn and shift our focus to Afghanistan and Pakistan it is very important to reflect on what we learned from Iraq and to remember that you have to apply what was learned there with a very nuanced understanding...of local circumstances,” said Petraeus.

Petraeus was one of the leading figures during the 2007 surge of U.S. troops in Iraq, a move that increased U.S. military capability in the Middle East by more than 20,000 soldiers and additional brigades. The surge was instrumental in the counterinsurgency mission that would help secure the region. Petraeus completed his work in Iraq by rebuilding the Iraqi army. 

Petraeus highlighted the success of the U.S. army in improving security conditions, stating “We’ve gone from a situation in which June of 2006 or 2007 saw 160 attacks per day on average. in Iraq it is now between 10 and 15 attacks per day and has been that way for about 6 months now; in fact in the low end of that in recent weeks.”

However, Petraeus did concede that last month was an exception. There were over 400 attacks in May, the highest in the country’s post-invasion history.

The General touched upon the peacekeeping role that the army has recently acquired with the Iraq mission and named the safety of the civilian population as a major priority.

“The overriding mission of a military force in counterinsurgency has to be to secure the people and...be seen as securing and serving them. This is hugely important,” said Petraeus.

Petraeus explained that once security has been established throughout the country, the U.S. would not be able to leave Afghanistan until they have assured that the established government follows a peace-ensuring criteria.

Officials Set The Record Straight About Extremists And Pakistan

By Aaron Richardson-Talk Radio News Service

The popular opinion regarding Pakistan has been misrepresented by a headline-seeking media and conflicting U.S. policies with the Middle Eastern country according to a panel of experts and elected officials in Washington, D.C.

“The U.S. wants to create better relations with Pakistan, yet the bombing continues,” said panelist Samina Ahmed, South Asia Project Director at the International Crisis Group.

Congress has allocated millions of dollars to assist Pakistani civilians who have lost homes and belongings due to bombings, according to Wendy Chamberlin, President of the Middle East Institute.

“The media created a picture of them being anti-American, all Muslims do not hate America...do not call these extremists the Taliban, that means nothing, they are al-Qaida. The extremists are not popular there,” said Chamberlin.

Chamberlain said the media’s portrayal of Pakistan has had a devastating effect on the country’s international relations. U.S. Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.), who was also a part of the panel, discussed strategy for ending extremism in Pakistan during a May hearing with the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs.

“Campaign against extremism will not succeed with bullets and bombs alone. A critical part of the administration’s new strategy is to significantly increase civilian staffing,” Tierney said.