if not with us! then who are you with?
… continuing to monitor a very expensive hangover:
Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
Major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the United States government to exceptionally close allies who have close strategic working relationships with American forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
While the MNNA status does not automatically include a mutual defense pact with the United States, it does confer a variety of military and financial advantages that otherwise are not obtainable by countries not in NATO.
19th September 2001:
President General Musharraf:
Address to the People of Pakistan
Excerpts:“Pakistan comes first, everything else comes later”.
I must tell them that I and my government are much more worried about Afghanistan and Taliban. I have done everything for Afghanistan and Taliban when the entire world is against them.
We are trying our best to come out of this critical situation without any damage to Afghanistan and Taliban. This is my earnest endeavor and with the blessings of Allah I will continue to seek such a way out.
What I would like to know is how do we save Afghanistan and Taliban. And how do we ensure that they suffer minimum losses: I am sure that you will favor that we do so and bring some improvement by working with the nations of the world. At this juncture, I am worried about Pakistan only.
I am the Supreme Commander of Pakistan and I give top priority to the defense of Pakistan, Defense of any other country comes later. We want to take decisions in the interest of Pakistan.
[Text and photograph: www.american rhetoric.com]
20th September 2001:
President GW Bush:
Address to the Joint Session of Congress and the American People
“Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime“
Every nation – in every region!
17th June 2004:
Bush names Pakistan ‘major ally’
BBC News
President George W Bush has upgraded relations with Pakistan by formally naming it as a major non-Nato ally. The move is in recognition of Islamabad’s contribution in the fight against al-Qaeda, and is being seen as Washington’s way of saying thank-you.Pakistan will now enjoy a special security relationship with the US.
An ally: (noun) :
1. a person who associates or cooperates with another; supporter.
2. a person, group, or nation that is associated with another or others for some common cause or purpose
16th September 2008
Pakistan orders troops to open fire if US raids
By STEPHEN GRAHAM – Associated Press
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s military has ordered its forces to open fire if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman said Tuesday. The orders, which come in response to a highly unusual Sept. 3 ground attack by U.S. commandos, are certain to heighten tensions between Washington and a key ally against terrorism.Pakistani officials warn that stepped-up cross-border raids will accomplish little while fueling violent religious extremism in nuclear-armed Pakistan. Some complain that the country is a scapegoat for the failure to stabilize Afghanistan.
We know Pakistan is so fuelled up with religious extremism, it cannot ‘fuel up’ any further.
We know Pakistan will again blackmail the world with the threat of nuclear arms.
We now know why Afghanistan could not be stabilised, the “enemies”
in the war of terror are being protected in, if not by, Pakistan.
Musharraf, give his due, kept his promise to save and protect the Talibans.
His followers are simply carrying out his legacy.
If in this ‘war’, Pakistan is a true ally of the US, they should open up their border
to let the NATO troops help them in the fight on terror –
that they have struggled with for SEVEN years.
Fought?! Did they, really?
17th September 2008
A friend in deed?
Or a friend in its own need?
Is Mr Bush asking “if not with us! then who are you with”?
America
Pakistan
Musharraf
GWBush
terrorism
littleindian
opit said this on September 17th, 2008 at 14:12
Ouch.’Monitor’ indeed. I trust the expense was mostly incurred in the purchase of self abuse.
I’m told our minds do not work so as to retrieve memories of trauma. I eventually figured out that was not a good reason to choose for them to recur.
opit said this on September 17th, 2008 at 14:20
BTW Come to think of it : try not using carbonated mixers. They have a reputation for making things much worse.