Marathon Pundit: Tom Ridge on the US-Pakistan talks

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Tom Ridge on the US-Pakistan talks

Tom Ridge, America's first Homeland Security secretary, offers his unique insight on the US-Pakistan talks in an op-ed for the San Diego Union-Tribune:

The high-level Strategic Dialogue talks that concluded in Washington this week between Pakistan and the United States came at a very opportune, but also very challenging, time. While it would be unrealistic to expect sweeping changes in our decades-long relationship with Pakistan during the course of a few days, certainly a reaffirmation of our respect for and commitment to one another was sorely needed.

For the stakes are about as high as they can be. The Taliban maintain important logistical, training and staging facilities in Pakistan's northern provinces, which play a vital role in their Afghan military operations; the tribal region provides a safe haven for al-Qaeda and other international terrorist organizations seeking to visit death and destruction on the West; and growing anti-American and anti-government sentiment throughout much of the country raises fears that Pakistan, and its nuclear arsenal, might eventually fall under the control of extremist groups.

What happens in Pakistan has vast implications for the ongoing stability of its region, and of the entire world. It seems only natural that our country would be impatient in such a highly charged situation, ignoring all nuance and complexity, and pressuring the Pakistanis to put our interests in front of theirs. But that would be a significant mistake.

For the urgency of our short-term military and political needs can easily make us act in ways that seem disdainful of a proud people, and dismissive of the often messy workings of a struggling democracy that faces tremendous domestic pressures of its own. Such an approach would be more likely to undermine our long-term interests than to buttress them. As much as it goes against the national grain, we must find it within ourselves to be patient and supportive, albeit cautiously so, in a situation that seems to demand immediate and uncompromising action to protect U.S. interests.