Pakistan = Major Non-NATO Ally!?

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-03-18 11:42am

What the FUCK, Shrub!?

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2004-03-18 11:46am

I`m not surprised Baby Bush wants to be friend with countrie that help terrorists Pakistan,Saudi Arabia etc,and the reall friends he treats them as if they were enemies.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2004-03-18 11:49am

And the big deal is?

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-03-18 11:52am

Ohhh, just the fact that Shrub is supporting a fundamentalist theocracy which traditionally has not been a particularly close friend of the West and has sponsored terrorism in the past, AND which is perpetually on the brink of nuclear war with a secular democratic republic.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2004-03-18 11:58am

BoredShirtless wrote:And the big deal is?

Indeed, it isn't like 65% of Pakistani's said they viewed Bin Laden favourably, Oh Wait.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2004-03-18 12:03pm

Oh please. You guys are making it out like Pakistan will get instant approval to buy any and all US military equpment. Read the article. It just says the US will make it "easier". Like this is such a big deal anyway for a nation with Nukes.

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-03-18 12:14pm

BoredShirtless wrote:Oh please. You guys are making it out like Pakistan will get instant approval to buy any and all US military equpment. Read the article. It just says the US will make it "easier". Like this is such a big deal anyway for a nation with Nukes.

I never thought I'd be rooting for the guys with Soviet technology, but in this case, I think India's a lot more worthy of support than Pakistan.

Granted at times that's like saying it's the monkey that smells the least like feces, but it's still true.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2004-03-18 12:48pm

Bush is allying us with all the assholes who can't get friends by being nice but who are willing to blow the US to get treaties and their sanctions lowered. Fuckers.
Our alliance with Europe is strained severely, but our alliance with theocratic fundamentalist nations is stronger than ever.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2004-03-18 12:51pm

Iceberg wrote:I think India's a lot more worthy of support than Pakistan.

Support from the United States can come attached with hefty price tags however. The United States once dumped a ship full of aid [milk and wheat I think] headed to India into the ocean because India wouldn't "bend over".

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2004-03-18 02:03pm

Funny thing here is that Bush is doing this while Colin Powell - one of the few Republicans I respect and to some extent admire - is trying to convince India to open its markets to American goods. More proof that the Administration is trying to shit in his hand as often as it can.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-03-18 03:31pm

How many nations are deploying multiple divisions to help hunt down terrorists? The answer is one, and its Pakistan. The nation only stands to get far worse without US support. Musharraf and his friends are about the only thing keeping the country from becoming worse then Iran in 1979, and they can do that because the army supports them. Nothing keeps an army happy like new toys. If it does ever come to a fight, nothing Pakistan can afford would make a difference against the US, and India sure isn't going to fall behind.

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-03-18 11:18pm

Iceberg wrote:Ohhh, just the fact that Shrub is supporting a fundamentalist theocracy which traditionally has not been a particularly close friend of the West and has sponsored terrorism in the past, AND which is perpetually on the brink of nuclear war with a secular democratic republic.

Pakistan is not a fundermentalist theorcracy, it used to be a democracy untill dictatorship took over in 1999. Even though he is a dictator, Musaraf is a secular leader and his regime is secular.

Even though Pakistan supported Taliban once it is irrelavent now since Pakistan is cooperating with the US in the war against terror.

India is not really the secular democratic country they like to portray themselves. After all India is ruled by a hindu fundermentalist party, the BJP.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2004-03-19 01:07am

evilcat4000 wrote:Pakistan is not a fundermentalist theorcracy, it used to be a democracy untill dictatorship took over in 1999. Even though he is a dictator, Musaraf is a secular leader and his regime is secular.

In fact, the only country that truly qualifies as a theocracy is Iran, because the central government dictates religious law as part of it's function as a government, and the post Supreme Leader means both supreme political and religious leader (the holder of this title, Ali Khameni is also an Ayotollah).
Afghanistan under the Taliban was to only other true theocracy in recent times...

Saudi Arabia is technically not a theocracy because of the way their system works: The central government (royal family) does not dictate religious matters to the people, and it's members do not hold religious posts as a function of government.
They leave Qu'ranic law to the Wahabbi clerics. In return for being given free reign by the Royal Family to dictate religious law to the Saudi people, the clerics agree not to oppose the policies or decisions of the Royal Family. This method has (so far) served to keep the pro-American Royal Family in power in a country where most of the people (certainly most of the clerics) hate the United States...

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-03-19 05:32am

BoredShirtless wrote:Oh please. You guys are making it out like Pakistan will get instant approval to buy any and all US military equpment. Read the article. It just says the US will make it "easier". Like this is such a big deal anyway for a nation with Nukes.

You mean Pakistan? Their hard-on for replacing their aging equipment with new stuff that can match India's numerous cool new toys is well-known. India has slapped them around so many times, they're obsessed with it. Primarily fighter jets- in particlar the F-16s Pakistan bought and paid for but which were withheld and sent to AMARC (the Boneyard) for storage. They were then restored and are used by some US unit for some sort of non front-line combat purpose. Pakistan has been forced to buy Chinese warmed-over MiG-21 ripoffs (the F-7), for chrissakes.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2004-03-19 06:30am

And like Sea Skimmer pointed out, Pakistan is right now helping the United States. Yeah maybe Pakistan changes "sides" again later on...but I doubt a couple of planes or whatever is going to suddenly turn Pakistan into an indestructible force.

Post by **Vympel** » 2004-03-19 06:49am

BoredShirtless wrote:And like Sea Skimmer pointed out, Pakistan is right now helping the United States. Yeah maybe Pakistan changes "sides" again later on...but I doubt a couple of planes or whatever is going to suddenly turn Pakistan into an indestructible force.

Yeah. The country is still poor, small in relation to it's massive neighbor, etc.

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-03-19 07:46am

BoredShirtless wrote:And like Sea Skimmer pointed out, Pakistan is right now helping the United States. Yeah maybe Pakistan changes "sides" again later on...but I doubt a couple of planes or whatever is going to suddenly turn Pakistan into an indestructible force.

Pakistan is unlikely to change sides soon unless Musaraf is assasinated and fundermentalists take over.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2004-03-19 02:35pm

I was under the impression we were more or less neutral with regard to the ongoing contention between Pakistan and India.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2004-03-19 04:18pm

Uraniun235 wrote:I was under the impression we were more or less neutral with regard to the ongoing contention between Pakistan and India.

More or less; more support to Pakistan, less to India. Check out Pakistan's old military equipment for some proof.