Some Free Advice On America's Post-Musharraf Policy

By Cernig

Brian Katulis has a rather good article for the Guardian on what should be American policy on pakistan post-Musharraf. He advocates moving away from the Bush administration's focus on the military, its leadership and military aid to one that broadens U.S. contact within the civilian leadership there. More, he writes:

Perhaps more important than these relationships with a broader range of Pakistani leaders, the US should adopt a more comprehensive strategy for Pakistan � one that is less focused on conventional military tactics and one that uses the full range of America's considerable powers. In recent months, US defence secretary Robert Gates has made important, but little noticed, speeches on the need to adjust the US global strategy by investing in other aspects of US power. In a speech last November, Gates argued: "One of the most important lessons of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that military success is not sufficient to win: economic development, institution-building and the rule of law, promoting internal reconciliation, good governance, providing basic services to the people, training and equipping indigenous military and police forces, strategic communications and more � these, along with security, are essential ingredients for long-term success."

A new strategy for Pakistan should be based on this vision. It should put at its central focus the positive lesson learned from the Bush administration's best foreign policy moment: the earthquake relief the US delivered to Pakistan's citizens in 2005. To advance stability in Pakistan, the US should prioritise the policies that most directly improve the wellbeing and prosperity of the Pakistani people.

Good advice. But I'd add a bit more. Stop thinking entirely in terms of "American power" to dictate terms and start thinking about Pakistani culture. The Indian sub-continent possesses one of the oldest civilisations on earth - perhaps even the oldest. Even if Pakistan is no longer part of India, the people who live there have a those thousands of years to stand on the backs of. There's a slightly annoying tendency in American foreign policy thought to regard other nations - especially poor ones - as politically naive in proportion to their lack of economic, military and pop-cultural parity with the U.S. but the people of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan were practising big-city politics while Alexander's ancestors were still living in mud-hut villages. Which explains why the excellent businessmen and politicians of the region keep taking noveau-riche America to the cleaners.