From: eng10511@nusunix1.nus.sg (RAM VIKASH TIWARY)
Subject: Re: Report: U.S. insists Pakistan prove it's not backing terrorists
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 11:30:08 GMT

Ilyess Bdira (ilyess@ECE.Concordia.CA) wrote:
: If you are not convinced yet that the U.S's list of "states that support
: terrorism" is a blackmail tool to pressure idependent governments into
: submission, then this news item might not convince you, I will try anyway.
: 
: 	ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (UPI) -- The United States has given Pakistain 180
:  days to prove it is not promoting international terrorism, or else face
:  weapons and trade sanctions, a report in Islamabad said Saturday.
:  	Pakistani Foreign Secretary Shaharyar Khan told The News, an
:  independent newspaper, that U.S. Ambassador John Manjo delivered the
:  ultimatum Thursday.
:  	The newspaper said Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Syeda
:  Abida Hussain, was called to the State Department the same day and told
:  of the warning by Arnold Kanter, the assistant secretary of state.
:  	If Pakistan cannot prove its innocence, it risks being placed on a
: [Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?]
:  State Department list of terrorist states and could to face arms and
:  trade sanctions and other punitive actions, diplomatic sources said in
:  Islamabad.
: [of course Pakistan can only prove its innocence by renouncing to its
: nuclear program, CAN YOU SAY BLACKMAIL BOYS AND GIRLS?]
:  	``The more important fact is that Pakistan is not on the list yet and
:  the Clinton administration will now decide upon the issue within the
:  next four months,'' Khan said.
:  	Washington has objected to Pakistan's support for Kashmiri insurgents
:  fighting for independence from India.
:  	Pakistan claims it provides only political and diplomatic support to
:  the fighters, and not material help, as India claims.
:  	But British Home Secretary Kenneth Clarke told a news conference in
:  Islamabad earlier this week he believed the Pakistani government was
:  also giving material support to the fighters.
: End quote.
: 
: I think that based on this criterion, the U.S is the first country that should
: be put on its own list, consider the following:
: 1)The illegal creation of the Nicaragua contra thugs and the support (overt
: and covert) of their mainly "terrorist activities"
: 2)The U.S sponsered "terrorist" activities in Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia (not the
: current invasion but the U.S was the main cause for what happened), Afghanistan
: (previously called freedom fighters, now Fundamentalists), Liberia, Zair, and
: you name it, the U.S is there..
: 

	I totally agree with you.  The hypocrisy of the American move
cannot be made more plain.  This should however not lead to a
condemnation of the American move.  The motives for this are rather
perplexing to me.  But I suppose with the demise of the former Soviet
Union and the reduction of the Afghan conflict to the status of a
regional conflict has meant that Pakistan has lost most of its strategic
value in the eyes of the Unites States.  Like all other nations, the US
practices realpolitik, ie the politics of opportunism and self interest.
Pakistan should get it house in order if it is to remain in the good
books of the US.  This is the harsh reality of international relations.
From a strategic point of view, Pakistan now lies on the fringe of the
so called New World Order whereas India  with its large and burgeoning
population promises to be a future power to be reckoned with.  In a
world with only one superpower, small nations must learn to adapt to the
new realities.  Learn from the example of Iraq.  Israel beware.  The
mid-east features prominently in global strategic equations only so long
as petroluem is the world's main source of fuel.  This fact will no
doubt change in the not too distant future with the depletion of the
finite oil resources.  Then who knows, we might see Israel being pit on
the list of nations sponsoring terrorism (that is if it still exists
minus massive US aid and backing).
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast