generalspeaking

Another War President

Not that it appears he's been given much choice, either by his own destiny, or by events hurtling themselves into history. The memory of past, let along ongoing, attacks by fanatical Islamists lends credence to the apprehension that more are on the way, even while those that have taken place haven't yet cooled into the historical past. One report after another from Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, India, and elsewhere in the unsettled world of Islamist dedication to jihad reminds us that the country that leads the world and the leader of that country cannot rest easy.

Of course, those great phalanxes of war resisters will have their say, and why shouldn't they? Who could disagree that war is a dreadful man-made catastrophe, one that sends a nation's young to the battlefields and brings them home no longer quick. That the innocents, the civilians, the elderly and the young in any population where war is ongoing, suffer enormously, disproportionately, that there is no shelter for them from the atrocities that visit a battlefield and beyond. The peace-sayers and the war-nayers have charity toward others on their side.

But reality brings us to the little problem that results from refusing involvement in war. There are assaultive wars, and there are defensive wars. What will occur if those whose existence is threatened by a determined war-mongering religion-inspired legion of blood-spillers and mayhem-conspirators are given free rein to disport themselves as they wish, unopposed? It is not merely an innocently incorrect perception that we are under attack; ongoing events are proof positive.

Those instances where Islamist fanatics have been successful in attacking the United States, Indonesia, Spain, England, let alone Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and elsewhere represent a beginning of initiatives, and a lack of opportunities on the one hand - and a surfeit of opportunities on the other; separating the West from the rest. The conclusion is inescapable, the struggle to defeat Islamist jihadism is nowhere close to concluding.

New intelligence from a new American president that al-Qaeda is 'actively planning' new terror attacks on the United States, prepares the American public to support their government in actively deploying additional of their troops in the crucible of fanatical Islamist recruitment. Afghan's Taliban gave birth to their Pakistani counterparts, and each has agreed to unite in a common purpose, to combat foreign troops battling for a sovereign Afghanistan.

In recognition of Pakistan representing a haven on its border with Afghanistan for the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces, the Pakistani Taliban acknowledge by this joining of forces that their time of relaxed accommodation by the successive governments of Pakistan may just have reached their apex. "Pakistan is willing to play an active, constructive role in this because we feel our peace and security is linked to Afghanistan's", admitted Pakistan's foreign minister.

Of course Pakistan's current administration has a bit of a problem; to earn the billions of dollars of American support flowing from Washington, it must demonstrate its commitment to opposing the Taliban, not continuing to make meek accommodation to their demands as has been the norm, and still is. And the infiltration of Pakistan's armed services and its intelligence wing by Islamists whose agenda supports the Taliban must be addressed, strenuously and purposefully.

Of course, before that is accomplished, it's abundantly likely that Pakistan itself may implode and a civil war ensue. "Make no mistake: al-Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within", President Obama warned in his latest address to the nation.

"After years of mixed results, we will not provide a blank cheque. Pakistan must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out al-Qaeda and the violent extremists within its borders. And we will insist that action be taken - one way or another - when we have intelligence about high-level terrorist targets."

Good luck, and goodspeed.

Labels: Political Realities, Religion, Terrorism, World Crises

posted by Pieface @ Sunday, March 29, 2009