Who will win Pakistan?
Pakistan has been volatile since the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and parties on all sides of the conflict are debating the best course of action. Al Qaeda is reportedly flooding the disrupted country, hoping to influence the elections set for February 18 by recruiting new extremists and threatening voters.
In response to the growing confusion in Pakistan and the increasing Al Qaeda threat, there are reports the US is considering a new cover operations push to stabilize the country.
But at the White House and the Pentagon, officials see an opportunity in the changing power structure for the Americans to advocate for the expanded authority in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country. “After years of focusing on Afghanistan, we think the extremists now see a chance for the big prize — creating chaos in Pakistan itself,” one senior official said.The CIA has had limited access in Pakistan, mainly restricted to the hunt for Bin Laden. If there were a new covert push, it is expected to require "loosening restrictions on the C.I.A. to strike selected targets in Pakistan," and the ability to do so using Pakistani intelligence.
While the importance of stabilizing Pakistan cannot be overstated, there are critics of potential US led covert operations:
Critics said more direct American military action would be ineffective, anger the Pakistani Army and increase support for the militants. “I’m not arguing that you leave Al Qaeda and the Taliban unmolested, but I’d be very, very cautious about approaches that could play into hands of enemies and be counterproductive,” said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University.And so exists the paradox, Pakistan is increasingly becoming a power vacuum as the PPP, Musharraf, and Al Qaeda grapple for support after the assassination of Bhutto. Should the US join the fray, in an attempt to - above all else - prevent Al Qaeda from gaining ground in a nuclear country? It is certain any revelation of American covert operations would cause uproars among certain factions, certain to blame Musharraf for being a Western puppet. Yet, is this enough reason to stand by? With the US entangled in Afghanistan and Iraq, the idea of stepping in to stabilize has become nonsensical. But the question still stands, does Pakistan need our help?Pakistan, bhutto, Musharraf, Al Qaeda, cia, covert
Hasan Askari Rizvi, a leading Pakistani military and political analyst, said raids by American troops would prompt a powerful popular backlash against Mr. Musharraf and the United States.
