Today, Senator Chris Dodd released the following statement in opposition to cutting off aid to Pakistan, and urged diplomatic methods to maintain relations with the government and people of Pakistan.
"The Bush administration has been myopically focused on promoting the trappings of democracy around the globe, while at the same time ignoring building the foundations of a democracy. And that myopia has been at the expense of our nation's national security. This is evidenced so clearly in the unfolding political crisis in Pakistan.
"The Bush administration never should have outsourced winning the Afghan war of necessity against al Qaeda and the Taliban regime to General Musharraff and the Pakistani armed forces - they were incapable of winning that war without bringing Pakistan's political institutions to the breaking point.
"Now we have another crisis on America's plate. First and foremost, we must not allow Pakistan to devolve into total chaos. That is not in America's national security interest and it is not in the interest of Pakistan's future. Restoring stability as quickly as possible is essential.
"To do so we must maintain relations with the government and people of Pakistan, including Pakistani Armed Forces, as we support internal efforts to broker a political compromise to the internal conflict.
"I am firmly opposed to cutting off assistance to the government and people of Pakistan at this time - in fact I would argue that additional assistance might even be necessary in the coming days.
"Elections are important, but elections alone will not return Pakistan to a democratic path without a grand bargain among all of Pakistan's power centers. We also need a sustained commitment to the real pillars of democracy - the rule of law, freedom of the media, and freedom of assembly.
"That commitment has been sorely lacking in our current policy. American leadership is desperately needed at this critical moment and for the foreseeable future. That is why the next President must be experienced, pragmatic and ready to take on the job the first day in office."
Comments
I thank Senator Dodd for his insight and courage to speak out fairly on the Pakistan issue.
It is quite depressing to read of the state of affairs in Pakistan. Growing up there, we never heard of suicide bombings etc. Compared to other countries in the Middle East (Saudi, Iran, etc.)Pakistan was known as a country of moderates. This new threat from extremism is so scary. We are in the grips of it. Something has to be done. Musharraf seems to want to clean up the mess. He is a dictator but the rest (Benazir / Sharif) are crooks - take your pick!
I wish we had cleaned up the extremists (Taliban)in Afghanistan before venturing into Iraq. Now these monsters are seeking refuge in moderate Pakistan and trying to hijack the institutions there. At he end of the day, I can live a dictator who can follow up his rhetoric with action. Time will tell.