Wednesday, July 16, 2008

How Obama plays in Pakistan

WASHINGTON: White House hopeful Barack Obama on Tuesday promised to shift the “single-minded” US focus on Iraq to a threatening “terrorist sanctuary” in tribal areas in Pakistan, in a broad new blueprint for US foreign policy.
(The News)
He plays a bit like a preemptive unilateralist, from what I can tell. Rather than containing terrorists in Pakistan, Obama would attack with or without the permission of the sovereign (and nuclear) Pakistani government.

The same story goes on to describe Obama's strategies for Iraq and Afghanistan. The neutral language might as well be describing McCain's stated plans.
He promised to concentrate on five main goals: “ending the war in Iraq responsibly; finishing the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban; securing all nuclear weapons and materials from terrorists and rogue states; achieving true energy security; and rebuilding our alliances to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.”
Well--maybe not the last one. It remains to be seen how Obama will rebuild the alliance with Pakistan while flatly stating his intent to ignore their sovereignty.

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