>From: "Steve Catanzaro" <stevencatanzaro@sprintmail.com>
>To: "acid jazz" <acid-jazz@ucsd.edu>
>Subject: Dangerous Times : Uneasy Alliances
>Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 10:34:40 -0700
>X-Priority: 3
>
>I suggest to all that if you believe in God, begin praying now (even if you
>don't, at a time like this, how could it hurt?)
>
>The US appears poised to form, (of necessity, I argue), yet another unsavory
>alliance, at least in the eyes of some. Pakistan, a nuclear power, has
>suggested that it will get behind the US if it wishes to launch an attack
>against Bin Laden forces in Afghanistan, or the Taliban government itself.
>
>Pakistan is a country that is 1/2 of the world's most potentially dangerous
>hotspot, a sworn enemy of gigantic nuclear military power India.
>
>If you'll recall when the terrorist act first happened, India was quick to
>jump on board and condemn Pakistan as a state with ties to the Taliban and
>Afghanistan. The US has sanctions against Pakistan.
>
>What to do now? Do we accept Pakistan as an ally, and risk alienating India?
>These are extremely tortorous straits ahead. It does little good to call our
>leader "Baby" at this time, as it seems that both Solomonic wisdom and
>Divine intervention are required. I, for one, will stand up and say I'm glad
>I voted for Bush, now more than ever, but I'd sure as hell be behind 100%
>Gore as well.
Well, the fact that we have been an ally of Pakistan until the recent
coup, and only with Clinton, and the nuclear blasts did we start more
serious ovatures towards India, should put a different spin on the
above comments. The thing is, us Americans seem to be rather
oblivious to what happens around the world when the US shifts its
weight around. The 'domino' effect of the 'Communist' countries that
seemed to be the guiding force for our international relations,
created a lot of pain and misery in our wake, just look at central
Africa that was a major battleground for the US/Soviet Games (i.e.
Nambia that's still in civil war after Us and the Soviets have left.
But, it usually takes something such horror for people to notice.
But, even then it takes a while to learn, like the recent hardline
nationalist/militarist stances of the more rightwing parties in
Japan, that wasn't helped by their Prime Minister visiting the shrine
honoring the soldiers that committed unspeakable acts against the
Chinese during WWII.
The trick is to examine all angles and prepare to deal with the concequences.
erik g
read the main article on The Econmist's site
(http://www.economist.com) for a more reasoned look at the events
that have really shooken the world. (Even the French who aren't the
most pro-American Europeans have expressed outrage.)
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