In your opinion is Pakistan a foe or friend?

[PollM]

The United States voiced strong disapproval Saturday of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's instituting a state of emergency, a move that underscored the limits to the US ability to direct a key ally in its war on terror.


In your opinion is Pakistan a foe or friend? -----> http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=876

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[R_M]

1. Big Time Foe. They are the center for the terrorist training camps.

[Demeter]

2. Pakistan's Mushariff is a Cheney Crony and Client

Take those two out of the equation, and Pakistan and the US could be allies and friends.

[ginchinchili]

3. A serious answer to that question cannot be answered friend or foe.

Pakistan has the potential to be either, but its potential to be a foe carries a lot of weight because of their nuclear arsenal.

[JDPriestly]

4. There are tolerant, balanced Pakistanis, but overall the country is

being dominated by extremists. We should have allied ourselves with the voices of reason in the country much more clearly. The Bush/Rice doctrine of paying off a corrupt dominating group of Pakistanis to get short-term cooperation was an obvious mistake from the beginning.

This is the worst blunder of all the terrible blunders of the Bush administration. You cannot compromise with hatred, especially not when joined with extreme corruption and a sadistic love of violence and the ability to use overwhelming force. The Bushies are not just bad, sociopaths. They are fools. The Bushies thought they were playing Musahrraf, but of course they were playing way out of their league. Now look who has the control-- Musharraf of course. Bush, we warned you, but you would not listen.

[LSdemocrat]

5. A mess (nt)

[seemslikeadream]

6. A Big Fking Mess

[MzShellG]

14. A hot mess...

When you consider the nuclear factor.

[whistle]

7. Enemy

[sandnsea]

8. A problem country

We really need to stop thinking in black and white terms because that's not the way the world is.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. It's just a geographic political entity. Countries aren't friends or foes. They are just

a bunch of people.

[ConsAreLiars]

24. That is a very essential comment. People who think that kind of question has any answer at all have

been successfully brainwashed. Or maybe a "No!" answer would be OK. By lumping together the people and government and dominant powers of one country, Pakistan, and implicitly, the US ("our") into some sort of single homogeneous entity, this reinforces the illusion that reinforces existing power.

[John Q. Citizen]

27. One love, one heart, let's get together and feel alright. So sayeth Bobby.

is the moon our friend or our foe? Hmmm?
Is fire good or is fire bad?

Nationalism sucks.

[Greyhound]

10. We have no friends in the entire region. India is probably the least hostile. n/t

[XemaSab]

11. Honestly, neither

I think their government is evil, but not the most evil on earth, and not worth picking a fight over. :shrug:

[PollM]

12. Pakistan: An Ally....Really?

EVIL is the right answer, Evil & Nuclear is a very dangerous combination. Forget Iran, this is our problem this decade.

[stray cat]

13. Both and we don't want a democratic Pakistan

as it would be likely to result in Al queda supporters with access to nuclear weapons.

[killbotfactory]

15. That's like saying the US shouldn't have democracy because of the KKK

nonsense.

[BootinUp]

17. There is an interesting video interview

at talkingpointsmemo where an expert on that region disputes that assertion. Also I don't think even the Bushies buy that. The opposition party that is trying to gain more say in the government are not muslim radicals as far as I know.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/057838.php
A month ago, TPMtv interviewed Dr. Barnett Rubin, world-renowned expert on Afghanistan. In Part II we discussed the deteriorating situation in neighboring Pakistan, which you can see below. In addition I wanted to let you know that Dr. Rubin is currently in Islamabad and is currently live-blogging events as they unfold at the Informed Comment Global Affairs blog.

[PollM]

16. In your opinion is Pakistan a foe or friend?

We've given our blessings to two candidates who have already served a maximum of two terms according to their constitution. They're averting the constitution pressing the Supreme Court to alter the constitution to fit their agenda. These are rogue governments that we support today, and when cease to do what we ask of them they are labeled terrorists.

[2rth2pwr]

18. All peoples are our friends, we need some dialog. nt

[JerseygirlCT]

19. Dangerous foe, so long as they remain a dictatorship

willing to allow the proliferation of radical Islam in the form of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

We've been idiots for years wrt Pakistan, allowing them, like far too many other dictatorships in the Muslim world (Sudan, Saudi Arabia) to get away with murder instead of actually encouraging democracy.

Unlike Iran, they've got nukes. Now. And have shown a total unwillingness to rein in radical elements in their country. It's a very scary situation, totally aided and abetted by stupid foreign policy on our part.

[rucky]

20. I know it's a fairly straighforward question...

and I'm unable to answer it.

Musharraf is a friend to Cheney.

We're not okay with Musharraf or Cheney, but have no beef with the Pakistani people.

So when the crazy leaders dictate policy? we're friends.

in a sane world, would we be foes?

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. With us? Against us? How the fuck should I know?

Pakistan isn't one thing any more than the United States is.

Goddamn binary thinking.

[ladjf]

22. Pakistan is just another dictatorship, EXCEPT that they

are armed with nuclear weapons.

[fujiyama]

23. The military generals and the ISI are certainly not our friends

They are pro Taliban religious extremists.

And I'd be have to say that Musharraf isn't a friend either. But he's a shifty snake oil salesman basically on borrowed time.

As for the people - I'd say a majority are not necessarily religious extremists, but there is a significant number that is.

[iverglas]

25. y'know ...

Most of the world really doesn't spend its time looking in the mirror and wondering whether it's foe or friend to the USofA.

The USofA might do well to stop using the world as a mirror instead of looking to see what's there.

I hold no brief for Musharraf or the governments of many other countries in the world. But as a citizen of one of the many other countries out here, I really don't give a crap whether my country is seen as foe or friend to the USofA. We don't exist either for its benefit or its detriment. And frankly, it can like what we do or lump it.

I can think of little that is as unneeded or unconstructive, in the present conjuncture, as an effort to define yet another foreign nation as foe or friend of the USofA. Given what tends to happen to countries that the USofA lumps rather than liking.

[Irreverend IX]

26. They're like Saudi Arabia...

Except with less oil reserves and a nuclear arsenal. The leader is a thug who makes nice with the US. Both nations are staging areas for Al Qaeda, the people are mostly in support of a fundie Muslim revolution and the leader is barely able to hold them at bay.