Sources are indicating that Senator Barack Obama has requested to meet with Pakistani officials to discuss (read: learn about) the political situation in Pakistan and specifically, all matters pertaining to the Bhutto assassination.
Obama has taken some rather hardline stances in the past when it has come to Pakistan. He’s stated in the past that:
- the US should unilaterally send troops into Pakistan if there is actionable intelligence re: high value terrorist targets. (He later revisited this statement.)
- US Vice President, Dick Cheney, who currently manages US policy towards Pakistan, should visit Pakistan and ask President Musharraf to step down.
- Pakistan has many problems — including an anti-democratic president and an Islamist extremist movement that operates freely between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Without having made substantive statements with regard to Pakistan since his botched comment over invading Pakistan (see above), it’s clear that Obama doesn’t have a detailed Pakistan policy the way Senator Joe Biden did. In fact, now that Sen. Biden has quit his election bid for president, there are few, if any remaining candidates, with legitimate Pakistan related policies. For instance, Senator Hillary Clinton’s latest proposal that Pakistan share oversight of its nuclear weapons with the US and Great Britain is ludicrous — not legitimate policy.
There is an opening here for the Pakistani foreign ministry.
With a stunning win at the Iowa Caucuses and real potential for a win in New Hampshire only days away, Barack Obama’s chances for the White House continue to grow. It’s in the interest of the Pakistani foreign office, particularly the Pakistan Embassy, to be as accessible and as engaged as possible with US presidential candidates, particularly those such as Obama, in the hopes of shaping future US foreign policy towards Pakistan for the next half decade.
Campaign donations wouldn’t hurt either.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Presidential election 2008 |Republicans Vs. Democrats » Beltway Brief: Obama Requests to Meet Pakistani Officials // Jan 6, 2008 at 2:15 am
[...] Off The Bus wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptUS Vice President, Dick Cheney, who currently manages US policy towards Pakistan, should visit Pakistan and ask President Musharraf to step down. Pakistan has many problems — including an anti-democratic president and an Islamist … Read the rest of this great post here Posted by [...]
2 Hillary Clinton » Beltway Brief: Obama Requests to Meet Pakistani Officials // Jan 6, 2008 at 3:07 am
[...] Here’s another interesting post I read today by The Insider Brief [...]
3 noman habib // Jan 6, 2008 at 10:19 am
1.Possibility of unilatral action by US special forces and CIA inside Pakistan and tribal region is a real threat now so for no problem but what is more worrysome is our Berlin wall of intelligence inside Afghanistan and tribal belt has been breached effectively thanks to the political summersaults of policy makers.
2.We are back in the time of 80,s when late Soviet union will invade our tribal belt through bombings on daily basis but never launched a ground attack.At present NATO does not possess the capability of ground war against Pakistan army with 40,000 troops.
3.If we let NATO/Afghan national army it will be an other Kashmir in the west which unaffordable.
4.We need to make elaborate civil defence net work in tribal region to minimise the loss to civil lives and physicaly man all the Durand line to thawrt any ground invasion with the support of locals
4 imran tahir // Jan 6, 2008 at 12:44 pm
noman first of all these covert oprations not done by telling nytimes that we r doing this and doing that and second its not possible with the help of isi beacuse unilatrel actoins not interest of us it is possible joint covert oprations but said openly and unilaterly i dont think its possible that time now after seven years beacuse in 2005 rumsfield veto it saying too dangerous for us.SO its all media bull ith no substance i read that article it has nothing new yes they r sending trainers to train fc and may be tribel malatia and there r complaints that americans dont have even istructors availble fot that job so they every thing at high priorty thats why there Genrals were in pakistan.
5 Abdul khaliq // Jan 6, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Musharaf should be given credit for cooperation with US and kicking them under the table when required however the covert operation against Pakistan should be replied with covert operation
and who has stoped pakistani media from taking on the occupation of Afghanistan.Our media is free to praise Afghan resistance and giving out plans how to kick occupation forces.It should be more like tit for tat but GOP will always be there to refute Pakistani media claims
6 noman habib // Jan 7, 2008 at 5:55 am
It used to be like that ,no covert operation was possible in the region without support from ISI but this situation is no more.It was superior Political stance which harnessed intelligence and the people.ISI would know right away who is doing what and take preventive measures but now they can not claim this kind of capability.Covert operation inside Pakistan is possible and CIA can pull it alone thanks to hostilities between various segments of the society.This is the loss when policy makers don,t understand the difference between planned and organized deception and intintive cheating of a paranoid person
7 noman habib // Jan 7, 2008 at 5:57 am
In last post please read ”Instinctive cheating by paranoid person
8 Abdul khaliq // Jan 10, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Republicans will be winning presidential elections so it does not matter much what these guys bable about
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