Diplomacy we learned in fourth grade
May 17, 2011, 12:49 pm
Posted by Margaret O'Brien Steinfels
Not to be missed in the annals of sneering at your former bf. “Pakistani PM hails China as his country’s ‘best friend.’” And furthermore, “we call China a true friend and a time-tested and all weather friend,” said Mr. Gilani.
“Chinese officials and state media have hinted that they will use Mr Gilani’s visit to portray Beijing as a steadfast and reliable partner in contrast to Washington, described in one editorial as a fickle and demanding interloper.” And say it: Fair weather friend! Read it at the BBC.
In the Star Trek series, there is a test at the Starfleet Academy known as the Kobayashi Maru, used to teach the cadets about the existence of no-win scenarios. (Only James T. Kirk, by reprogramming the rules of the game itself, is able to “pass” this un-passable exam.)
So far as I can tell, we find ourselves in a Kobayashi Maru with Pakistan.
BF is one thing. BFF – ah, that’s something else entirely!
But we’ll still be giving Pakistan enough money to bribe the necessary officials to keep them from totally abandoning the US. We’ve turned them into the modern-day political version of “rice Christians.”
Even before the Osama BL raid by the US, China was urging Pakistan to turn away from the US, and draw closer both to Beijing and Kabul. This reflects, among other things, Beijing’s desire to exploit the mineral resources of Afghanistan, and its worry about the increasing coziness of the US-Indian relationship.
Let’s remember that back in the days we thought that India — especially under Nehru — was too close to the USSR, we cozied up to Pakistan. It was, for instance, a Pakistani commercial airliner that secretly carried Henry Kissinger to Beijing in the early summer of 1971 to lay the groundwork for the Nixon-Mao meeting of ’72. And Nehru did have something of a blind spot about the USSR, refusing (I think) to speak out about the Soviet crushing of the 1956 Hungarian rising.
I like the analogy of rice Christians for our dealings with Pakistan today. We need a different term, though; Rice militarists?
Is Pakistan a rice culture?
And per Michael Bayer, today’s report to Congress from Senator Kerry shows that he is no Captain Kirk! http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/kerry-pakistan-and-us-are-at-a-critical-crossroads.php
For further reading…
Time’s cover this week is an insightful, concise assessment of “The Pakistan Conundrum.” Link: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2071128,00.html
And Foreign Policy had an excellent piece analyzing US and Chinese interests in Pakistan back on May 9. Link: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/09/dear_china_help_us_fix_pakistan