Thursday, September 21, 2006

Why Things Happen

From the BBC :

The United States threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age" unless it joined the fight against al-Qaeda, President Pervez Musharraf says.

General Musharraf said the warning was delivered by former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to Pakistan's intelligence director.

"I think it was a very rude remark," Mr Musharraf told CBS television.

Pakistan agreed to side with the US, but Gen Musharraf said it did so based on his country's national interest.

"One has to think and take actions in the interest of the nation, and that's what I did," he said.



Which is probably one the reasons Pakistan did this.
Musharraf/Pakistan sees no more interest in losing soldiers in a campaign in its own tribal regions in much the same way it is no longer interested in having the US and NATO fighting a war next door. Wars and insurgencies spread and can be disasterous. Musharraf came to power in a coup and can leave power the same way (not in his interest, I imagine). You also do not threaten a national leader, especially a military leader, with the destruction of his country and expect him to be your forever friend.

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