The US military and NATO have spoken with Pakistan’s Chief Army General. The talks were meant to urge Pakistan to stop militants from crossing into Afghanistan and creating cross border attacks. The idea was to have military-to-military conversations so that the talks would be smooth, as well as to show why acting with the military is needed; however, the civilian government and courts are trying to establish themselves in these countries. Pakistan is just newly beginning democracy, which makes it hard for the military to act to stop the border issues when the civilian government needs to show its power too.
Some believe the military move should have been to speak with the civilian government rather than a military-to-military talk. With a military move of speaking directly with the civilian government in Pakistan, the problem might resolve itself better or at least show that the US recognizes the government as a power rather than just approaching the military, which certainly has the power right now. Some believe the military actions are undermining the American interests currently going on in Afghanistan. It is a hard decision for those in charge to make, considering that one choice might change things for better or worse, as would the other choice. It is basically hard to say which one would be the better move on behalf of NATO and the military.
It is quite obvious that many believe the moves by the military in the Middle East by the US are unwarranted and not appropriate; however, there are allies who continue to ask for help in terms of food and other resources from the US. It is a giant debate that will certainly not be solved with one more talk. The hope is that the current talk will help to alleviate some of the Pakistan troubles and help solidify democracy in the country.
Democracy is a government system that helps provide citizens with a choice. In countries where choice has largely been withheld it can be difficult to change. There are also opinions that changing things would create corruption of the citizens. With a lot to work for and against the debate, creating a larger issue with current border wars and undermining government systems might make things worse. It is one of the reasons that NATO and the US military have decided to have talks with the leader in Pakistan’s military.
The US is also in a bit of upheaval with the change in presidency that might be imminent. The idea would be to get a person into the office that could make things better for the US, but then again electing the wrong representative could create more problems with the world. 9/11 is definitely a reminder of what could happen should the wrong choices happen regarding those in the presidential office. Terrorists like to look for weak points, such as an election year, to create turmoil because many are focusing on the elections over what is happening elsewhere.
Jon Huser
