Two former top United States (US) officials
Stephen Hadley and John D
Podesta said this policy of
“stick” should accompany “carrot”
too, arguing that Washington
can't afford to do away with
Islamabad at this point of
time, reports The Indian
Express. “Given the distrust
in the relationship, the US
may be tempted to escalate
its indirect conflict with
Pakistan over Afghanistan,
break any pretence of cooperation,
and instead seek to contain
the Pakistan-based insurgency
to prevent it from operating
in Afghanistan, India, or
elsewhere,” said Stephen Hadley
and John D Podesta in an article
in July-August 2011 issue
of the Foreign Affairs
magazine.
“Proposals for ramping up pressure
on Pakistan include increasing
the drone strikes, conducting
US Special Forces operations
in the country, cutting Islamabad
off from international financial
resources, labelling Pakistan a state sponsor of terror, and imposing sanctions,” they wrote.
“But ending cooperation with
Islamabad would considerably undermine US interests in the country.
And given the resiliency of
the Taliban insurgency and
the inability of the Afghan
Government to support itself,
such a break is unlikely to
achieve US goals in Afghanistan,
either,” wrote Hadley and
Podesta.
Hadley was the National Security Advisor
under the US President George
W. Bush Podesta was the White
House Chief of Staff under
President Bill Clinton, from
1998 until 2001. |
