JMM, there's about a hundred dudes waitin' on you outside. I'll help you with the first three of em'.
JMM, there's about a hundred dudes waitin' on you outside. I'll help you with the first three of em'.
you'll take three; Todd (your new topkick) will take the next 3; and I will get the hell out of Dodge. I'm too old to take on 1, much less 94.
Leaving you with the immortal words, spoken in spring of 1944, by Juho Paasikivi, as interviewed by John Scott, a Time-Life reporter (with close ties in both Washington and Moscow):
Now, excuse me while I go to sleep - and I have no idea what this has to do with the ISI; but read my last two posts here, No options are off the table, and The Choice of Law Against Terrorism.Quote:
Repeating to me what he had probably told Molotov - a description of what the result would be if Russia overran Finland. Paasikivi stood up, shook a bony finger in the air and said:
Quote:
We will shoot from behind every stone and tree, we will go on shooting for 50 years. We are not Czechs. We are not Dutchmen. We will fight tooth and nail behind every rock and over the ice of every lake. I will not fight long. I am old, but others will fight.
Give me your military observations.
Blame Entropy; he got me going.
Regards
Mike
Ray, the following article struck a cord with me. I liked it.
I would appreciate your comment from the sub-continent (no matter how short):
After Osama bin Laden, Pakistan’s narrow window for redemption - By Mansoor Ijaz
The complicity of the ISI in the Afghan insurgency is evident if one considers the policy of arresting Taliban commanders who are deviating from the agenda of a jihad against the western troops in Afghanistan. One of the most striking examples was the detention of Mullah Beradar last year. Beradar was the number two of the Taliban (although one could say he was rather number one because Mullah Omar has has not been seen nor heard of for a long time...). Beradar was ready for peace talks with the Afghan government. After he had moved between Pakistan and Afghanistan freely the Pakistanis suddenly arrested him, but kept him away from the Americans. I think this arrest should send a strong signal to any of commanders who was thinking about a policy change towards Kabul.
Although I don not have a proof, I personally think that the Pakistanis sold bin Land to the Americans because he was of no value to them any longer. I see his death more as a symbolic success rather than a real tournaround in the struggle against terrorism.
Not something we've seen much in press reporting, apart form the obligatory street protests - what is the Pakistani press/TV saying? Draw your own conclusions:http://www.opendemocracy.net/abbas-z...security-state
OK for economy try these selections:Quote:
The very idea behind Pakistan's security state is that civilians are expendable, that there is no need to build civilian institutions because we are permanently invaded and the whole world is our enemy.
(At the end)..the army would not have been able to get away with billions of rupees every year in the name of national security leaving millions of Pakistanis without proper access to education and health. Think about it: 17 million Pakistani kids do not go to school because there are not any they can go to; and one government hospital caters for about half a million Pakistanis.
Approx. two dozen bad first person shooter games with the UBL kill scenario.Quote:
After the Bin Laden op, what is the impact?
If you are interested in the Pakistani media, you have to pay attention to what those connected to the pro-jihadi wing of the establishment are saying, not just what the small number of liberal English columnists are saying. for example: http://criticalppp.com/archives/48194
I would add that there IS more criticism of the army and ISI than there has been allowed in the past, and the narrative of ISI as the last line of defence against the CIA is becoming harder to sustain (and is truly contradictory now, since there is at least some part of the establisment that cooperates with the US), but its not like they are giving up.
The sad part is, many of them sincerely believe they are the ones defending the future of Pakistan and its people. Once you accept that the US is trying to destroy Pakistan (and arranged carefully stage-managed fake operations on 9-11 and 5-11 and much else as steps in this nefarious scheme) then preserving the good jihadis and the good taliban is a duty, not a mistake.
omarali;
If I were the head of the ISI, I would wage war against the U.S., India and the mujahideen network in the much the same way that they are doing so right now.That isn't to say I won't condemn it.
If you were head of ISI you might, but if you were a Pakistani outside of ISI, would you still approve of their priorities?
Seems as if the Pakistanis are a bit p***** after the bin Laden raid. They blew the cover of another CIA station chief in Pakistan:
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/auslan...761466,00.html
Sorry, it's in German.
If you browse with Google Chrome as I do you have a page translation option which I have used extensively and in this case is pretty damn good (it seems).
One interesting point is this:
Now one should ask why if the US wanted these people did they not take them after the raid? Now they are in a tug-o-war with the Pakistani's.Quote:
Washington nevertheless requires access to "all sources of information -" even to bin Laden's wives ", as Donilon it so far had U.S. investigators had no opportunity to speak with the people who found the Pakistanis in the house bin Laden, the U.S. government.. insists that at least three women will be delivered. (as translated)
They could be hiding the fact that they did bring along a living member of the blessed Osama clan. If they did not get even one, that does seem like an unfortunate omission.
Unless, of course, Pakistan was in on the whole deal and all this "tug of war" business is a huge smokescreen.
Careful about smokescreens... just now we will hear that OBL is in fact in a basement somewhere co-operating fully per kind favour of water-boarding and the stiff they tossed off that ship had false leg-extensions to make up the required length ;)
Always room for some more on the way home due to weight of fuel burned on the way in... and a funny thing about chopper pilots, they always seem more able to take off getting out of Dodge when overweight than on the way in... (to hell with the gearbox we're going home ;)
My title.
A "broad brush" analysis by Paul Rogers:Midway he says:Quote:
This briefing examines the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden and developments in Syria, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The main focus, however, will be on Libya. Is the continuing stalemate in the Libyan War the more important development?
Then:Quote:
Thus, by the end of the month and some five months after the start of the disturbances in Morocco, progress in political reform was continuing, but with a counter-reaction from elite regimes. In such circumstances, it might be expected that the strong western support for rebel forces in Libya would be seen as a positive aspect for the region as a whole. Here was external support for progressive change in a country where dissent had been rigorously suppressed. The fact that it is not seen that way across the region is of considerable significance.
Link:http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.u...t/libya_centreQuote:
...a deep unease merging into anger that Libya is yet another example of an Islamic state being subjected to attack by western forces. What is really important here, and is not understood in the West, is that the longer the Libyan War continues, the more the balance alters between the two factors, in the direction of popular opposition to western intervention.
(Last sentence)....NATO is therefore facing a dilemma - the extent of which is hardly appreciated among the western political classes.
Not really unexpected given the official Pakistani reaction:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15206639
In a better world those who exposed this man's role should take his place!
Meanwhile, Pakistani doctor who helped US in bin Laden raid sentenced to prison
I'm sure this will give a powerful boost to our intelligence efforts in the region. :rolleyes:
I wonder how they got his name? :mad:
From the BBC:Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18175964Quote:
A Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA find Osama Bin Laden has been sentenced to 33 years in jail, officials say.
Leaving aside the personal impact and local matters I would argue that this imprisonment alongside the recent revelations about the betrayal of the second Underpants bomber does not help the West and other friends recruit volunteers who become helpers, informants and spies. Those who are coerced are very different.
Those standard reassurances we will keep your identity secret, known to a very few; we will protect you and go to the "nth" degree to get you out could be now viewed as worthless.
Incidentally Sir Colin McColl, ex-SIS Director, has remarked that recruiting helpers (in GWOT / CT) was adversely affected by the furore over human rights abuses.