In a word my answer to this question is yes. I am not in favor of giving aid to the Pakistanis but we must do so if it will help us to bring an end to the war that we have been fighting for the past nine years. Now I am not deluded into thinking that the Pakistanis feel that they owe us any thing because we are providing them with financial aid and I am sure that our state department isn’t either. I think that they realize that providing financial aid to the Pakistanis is just a means to an end. We know that money won’t endear us to them but it does take money to conduct a military operation. It also takes money for the support that we so badly need from the Pakistanis. We have essentially put the Pakistanis in a catch 22 situation. Their ties with the Haqqani Taliban network run much deeper than their ties with the United States. They have been allied with the Haqqanis for quite a long period of time. They will have to continue to live and deal with the Taliban long after we are gone so who do you think will have their loyalty?
They have worked together for years on many sensitive projects and operations. The Haqqanis have done work for Pakistani Intelligence, and the Pakistanis have provided them with material, financial, and moral support in their efforts in the region. These ties run much deeper than any amount of money. The ties between the Haqqanis, Intelligence, and the Government are too close and too deep for us to expect to be broken for financial gain. I have said before and I will say again that Westerners are not in touch with the Arab mindset. For example let’s look at the reward on Osama bin Laden. No one has come forward even though it is a lot of money. The millions of dollars offered for his arrest is more than enough to set anyone up for life, but after many tears there have still been no takers. The Arab takes his social ties very seriously whether it is with friends or family. Keep in mind also that it may not be in the best interest for the Pakistanis if peace and stability were the order in Afghanistan.
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