Things that the United States has to learn from Pakistan and Iran

Pakistan has been under gruesome turmoil for years since General Musharraf staged military coup in the country, and 2007 was the worst year with maximum suicide attacks, bombings, and casualties including the former prime minister. There has been hunger for democracy since then. Benazir Bhutto was the last hope to restore democracy, and also the only hope for the US to make power sharing with its ally Mushaffaf at the backstage. The assassination of Bhutto is the loss of hope not only for the people of Pakistan but also for the US. There is a cloud of suspicion and hidden hands of intelligence services in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and the Musharraf’s government changing statement from time to time about the killing has only intensified suspicion. However, as usual, President Musharraf will come out from this controversy also as he has his hand-picked men starting from the Chief Justice to the General. It is not a secret that Pervez Musharraf has been benefiting thousands and millions of dollars from the US. The recent US intelligence reports have found that the billions of dollars the US has been pouring to Pakistan for fighting terrorism have been wrongly used. Instead of financing to fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, Pakistan is using this money to consolidate its weaponry to keep at par with its arch-enemy India. With Pakistan backsliding both in the fighting of terrorism and restoring democracy in military strife country, the US is considering to reevaluate its foreign policy in that country. It is time for the US to learn that even billions of dollars is not worthy to make (or buy) a good friend and ally who can guarantee the security of the country. Now, the question is how long the US will support the country that is discredited in every count, and pressurized by both internal and external forces.

On the other hand, on December 3, 2007, the US National Intelligence Estimate report cleared Iran the charge of pursuing nuclear weapon development program. The report disclosed that Iran had stopped pursuing the nuclear weapon program in 2003. The finding was a huge setback for the Bush administration because it was the only excuse for Bush to launch military operation in Iran. It was also the only hope for President George Bush to regain the loss of public faith over Iraq where no nuclear weapon was found after the invasion. Iranian President Mahmoud Abbas welcome the US report and described the finding as a victory for Iran. However, President Bush was still adamant and reluctant to admit the mistake, and continues to stick on his stubbornness – Iran was a danger to its own people and the world, and it is still a danger and will remain a danger. Charging a country as engaging in nuclear program has become a new technique for the US to conduct military operation in that country. Unlike its other defense strategies, this technique failed from the very onset making George Bush the most discredited and untrusting president in the history of the US. The Iraq and Iran experiences are enough to retreat from launching military operation in other countries with an excuse of finding nuclear weapons.