No gun sales to the Pak Army, says the gun maker
Here is an interesting story about an American gun maker that is pulling out of a contract competition because they are concerned that any guns sold to the Pak Army may be used to slay Americans.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/05...with-pakistan/
Every body gets it but the genii inside the beltway. The Pak Army/ISI is the enemy.
Pakistan's delicate civil–military balance
A timely IISS Strategic Comment as Afghanistan is in a flux, there are no talks with the Pakistani Taliban and the Pakistani Army are "prepping" for ground action in Waziristan. To name just three factors.
Link:http://www.iiss.org/en/publications/...y-balance-1d21
Fighting to the End: The Pakistan army
Professor Christine Fair's new book "Fighting to the End; the Pakistan Army's Way of War" is out.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._prd_ttl_sol_0
I am only on chapter two, but hope to have a review when done and when I get some time to write one. I look forward to enlightening comments from professional/academic people on this blog.
I think the introduction pretty much nails it. I am sure I will disagree with some details as I go along, but the overall thesis seems accurate to me.
What do others think?
Interestingly the current rating on Amazon is 2 stars because there is only one review and that person appears to be unhappy that she was not harsh enough or went easy on Islam. You can't win em all..
If I can borrow a phrase fom Mirbeau....
Pakistan is not a state with an army but an army with a state. Any analysis of Pakistan should begin there IMO. Pakistan ends wherever the army's ability to exert influence ends regardless of the internationally recognised border. Add to that the parralel state of the ISI and its own overlapping, competing and in some cases greater/longer reach and the, if that weren't complicated enough, civilian state apparatus which compete for authoity with the others then you have what can only charitably described as a headache (SNAFU to the locals). Ontop of that thes ovelpping netoks of power intersect at key points. Anyone who thinks "normal" diplomatic relations is possible with that setup is welcome to try. Even figuring out what "Pakistani" national interest depends upon figuring out which "power ministry" (to borrow a phrase from post-soviet analysts) is exerting internal and external pressure. Figuring out the correlation of frorces at any given time may actually be the easy part (:rolleyes:), the next step requires a degree of patience and mirror imaged machiavellianism that would confound the most seasoned wheeler-dealer.hardly something western european or even the US democracies with their short attention spans and black and white public diplomacy narrative (good guys/bad guys) can handle. Good luck to anyone who tries.:eek: