Post by dgriffin on Oct 31, 2009 19:30:06 GMT -5
Clinton's Pakistan visit reveals widespread distrust of U.S.
Even well-mannered college students and respected journalists question Washington's intentions in Pakistan. Some compare U.S. drone missile strikes to terrorism.
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan - Every time Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to win over Pakistanis during her three-day charm offensive this week, they fired back a polite but firm message:
We don't really trust your country.
No matter how hard Clinton tried to reassure audiences in Lahore and Islamabad with talk of providing economic aid where it's needed most, Pakistanis seized on her visit as the perfect moment to lash out at a U.S. government they perceived as arrogant, domineering and insensitive to their plight.
At a televised town hall meeting in Islamabad on Friday, a woman in a mostly female audience characterized U.S. drone missile strikes on suspected terrorist targets in northwestern Pakistan as de facto acts of terrorism themselves. A day earlier in Lahore, a college student asked Clinton why every student who visits the U.S. is viewed there as a terrorist.
The opinions Clinton heard weren't the strident voices of radical clerics or politicians with anti-American agendas. Some of the most biting criticisms came from well-mannered university youths and respected, seasoned journalists, a reflection of the breadth of dissatisfaction Pakistanis have with U.S. policy toward their country.
Clinton's visit came at a time when Pakistanis' suspicions about U.S. intentions in their country were at an all-time high.
Pakistanis also continue to be incensed by U.S. reliance on drone missile strikes to take out top Al Qaeda and Taliban commanders in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border.
CONTINUED AT:
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-clinton-pakistan1-2009nov01,0,1313175.story
Ah, well. Who can blame the Pakistanis? On the other hand, I can't believe Hillary gives a rats about how the Pakistanis feel. We're not there to nation-build. I'm told we're there because if we don't stop the bad guys from taking over the region and fomenting more mischief, we'll soon have a much bigger problem. Not only on the southwest Asia scene, but on a world level and even back here in the good ol' US of A. That's what I'm told.
Interesting article in this week's (or was it last week's ... my reading pile is too high) New Yorker about the deployment of Predators in the Pakistan border region. Now, you would expect the New Yorker to be anti-killing, but I think the author handled the story fairly. Some of the unattributed quotes from US Army personnel indicate many of the senior officers feel the Predator attacks are doing more PR harm than they are doing tactical good. But they admit we've nothing better to use against the Taliban.