USA's Patience Runs Out On Pakistan
Many foreign policy critics wondered why the USA didn't pull up stakes in Pakistan back when Osama bin Laden was discovered playing house down the street from Pakistan's version of West Point. But since then, there have been an unrelenting number of provocations -- some lethal -- against American personnel. Finally, U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are saying what needed to be said long ago:
“The United States has been incredibly patient with Pakistan. And we have been so despite certain undeniable and deeply disturbing facts. Most importantly, Pakistani army and intelligence officials continue to support the Haqqani Network and other terrorist groups in Pakistan that are killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and the vast majority of the material used to make improvised explosive devices used against U.S. forces in Afghanistan originates from two fertilizer factories inside Pakistan.
“The time has come for the United States to fully review its relations with Pakistan. We must assess the nature and levels of our support for Pakistan. In particular, all options regarding U.S. security and economic assistance to Pakistan must be on the table, including substantial reductions and stricter standards for performance. Most of all, U.S. policy toward Pakistan must proceed from the realistic understanding that certain actions of Pakistan’s military are contributing to the death and injury of our men and women in the military and jeopardizing our national security interests.
