<<The problem is that enough crazies with guns can drop-kick a stable middle class right into slavery. It's a pretty good rule of thumb that the majority doesn't rule - the guys with the guns do. >>
I don't quarrel with any of that, Pooch, but the fact is that the Army despite its origins is pretty much inculcated into the middle class and defends middle class and secular values for them. And the Army is never going to have to worry about being out-gunned by the crazies. Never happen. The only problem is that a group of determined junior officers can get fed up with Musharraf's subservience to the U.S.A. and decide to reclaim their nation from the infidels. This would still leave the crazies out in the cold (unless the junior officers themselves were secret Wahabbi converts, not totally impossible but highly unlikely) but it could produce a leadership more interested in hitching their stars to China's wagon than in carrying out U.S.-Zionist policies for fun and profit. Meaning a lot more tokenism in the fight against "terrorism" and a manipulation of the Afghan and Iraqi conflicts to promote the interests of the Sino-Pakistani alliance.
<<I don't know that the US ever had Pakistan to lose. >>
I was speaking of Pakistani public opinion, particularly that of the ruling classes. Before the U.S. began sucking up to India, it was viewed more favourably in Pakistan. There was some willingness to overlook the support that the U.S. provided to Israel. With the fall of the U.S.S.R., India and the U.S. could become closer, following a natural affinity between two large, English-speaking democracies. But in addition to the warming U.S.-India relationship, which was natural and understandable to some degree, there were severe anti-Muslim actions undertaken by the U.S., invading two Muslim countries in succession and aiding and abetting Israel's invasion of a third. This was infuriating and intolerable. We have a fairly large Pakistani population here in Toronto and it's almost impossible to find any immigrants or even first-generation Pakistanis or Pakistani-Canadians who have a good word to say for the U.S.A.
<<I think it was more like a symbiotic relationship between Musharraf and Bush. We needed to keep Pakistan out of the fight (remember that they were one of three countries that actually recognized the Taliban) and the good General needed assurance that the US wouldn't just walk in and take away his stars. >>
All due respect, Pooch, I don't think there was ever any question that the U.S. would walk into Pakistan to take anything from Musharraf. THAT really would have been walking into the buzz-saw. This is not the Taliban you are talking about, it is the Pakistani Army.
<< It didn't hurt that by befriending the US, he was making a potential ally against the opposition in his own country and maybe even getting some interference-running in the Indian situation.>>
The U.S. can't possibly help him against the domestic opposition. They are the kiss of death. The last thing he needs to tell his opposition is that the Americans are on his side. And strangely enough (or not) he was doing alright on his own in dealing with India. There was a lot of detente in Indo-Pak relations under Musharraf.
<< The current mess there is one of the two Charlie Foxtrots that have popped up in the middle east recently, the other being the Turks. >>
IMHO, if the Turks were going to try anything, it would have been done and over by now. But even if they attacked Iraqi "Kurdistan" tomorrow, no one but the Kurds would give a shit. The other Iraqis would be delighted to have the Kurds wiped out and the U.S. has fucked them so many times in the past that one more betrayal wouldn't add up to shit. Their Israeli buddies might feel a little down, but they never regarded Kurdistan as more than a means of emasculating the Iraqi nation, which doesn't look now as if it needs any more emasculation. There's a lot of killing going on in Kirkuk and anywhere where Kurds and Arabs mix, and all of it relates to land grabs. More dead Kurds just means more land for Sunnis.
<<And while all of that is going on, Georgia is potentially about to become a Soviet, er, I mean Russian satellite again. >>
Like it or not, my friend, that is the natural station in life of Georgia. It's not a viable state in its own right and it never will be. The U.S. schemed for years to bring Georgia into its orbit, a highly unnatural state of affairs. Its CIA station chief was shot dead by "unknown" assailants just outside Tblisi shortly after the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. The Georgia game's over now and the U.S. has LOST.
