Sunday, May 09, 2010

Four metaphors

Your major non-NATO ally - breeding ground, nursery, supermarket, Walmart.

1. A breeding ground for Islamism.

Salim Mansur writes in the Toronto Sun:

Since Britain conceded to the demand for Pakistan in the face of religious frenzy pushed by middle- and lower-class Muslim activists, the country’s history has been a series of failures of its own making. These failures have deeply embittered the thinking of that class of Pakistanis from whose rank the ruling elite comes, and whose regular pastime is to parcel blame to others for their part in making Pakistan a terrorist-exporting rogue and failed state.

2.  Irresistible lure of Pakistan as nursery of global jihad (URL may be temporary)

Lehaz Ali writes for the AFP:

...radicalised youth have long felt an irresistible pull to Pakistan as a nursery of modern jihad.

3. Terrorism's Supermarket

Fareed Zakaria writes in Newsweek:

For a wannabe terrorist shopping for help, Pakistan is a supermarket......Until the Pakistani military truly takes on a more holistic view of the country's national interests—one that sees economic development, not strategic gamesmanship against Afghanistan and India, as the key to Pakistan's security—terrorists will continue to find Pakistan an ideal place to go shopping.

 4. WalMart of private sector proliferation

Director General of the IAEA, Dr. Mohamed El Baradei called Pakistan the "WalMart of private sector proliferation".

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Please note that I have been frequently accused of severe anti-Pakistan bias; as though that makes what I'm saying less true somehow.   Please note that all four quotes above are from people whose name is Muslim; the first three appeared in the last twenty-four hours. None of them is mine.  You want to ignore all this in the name of political correctness or because it makes you feel better about yourself - so unbigoted - the outcome is on your head.

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PS: every Indian who has thought about this that I know is convinced that a nuclear explosion enabled by Pakistan in an Indian city is inevitable; therefore it is best to get over with this as early as possible.