Strained ties? US pledges $2.4bn aid to Pak in 2013

[JAYRAM]

Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN Feb 15,

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration proposes to lavish $2.4 billion of US taxpayer money on Pakistan in 2013 despite its dodgy role in terrorism and nuclear proliferation that has set the world on edge.

Unveiling an annual budget of $3.8 trillion that calls for tax hikes on the rich, the administration on Monday recommended to the Congress $2.2 billion in assistance to Pakistan including $1.1 billion already authorized under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill and $800 million for the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capability Fund. An additional $197 million is proposed to support the US government's civilian presence, as well as programs for engagement with Pakistani civil society.


The ostensibly reason offered by the state department for this massive aid to a country most Americans perceive as an enemy (a sentiment that is reciprocated in Pakistan) is that it will "provide a bulwark against extremism and support joint security and counter-terrorism efforts" . Both propositions have been questioned by analysts who have noted the Pakistani military's embrace of extremism and terrorism, including its anger at the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Despite this, the Obama administration has actually hiked the proposed military financing to Pakistan while scaling down civilian aid. The state department is requesting only $1.1 billion in civilian assistance for 2013. Elsewhere , the administration has requested $800 million under the Pakistani Counterinsurgency Contingency Fund, a reimbursement program for the Pakistani military jointly run by State and DOD.

Strained ties? US pledges $2.4bn aid to Pak in 2013 - Times Of India

 

[sob]

Why are we surprised. The US has thousands of it's troops in Afghanistan. They need Pakistan to ship in supplies.
With a possible flare up in the Persian Gulf they would like Af/Pak region to be quite.

 

[nrj]

And they want others to support Iran-sanctions to bring World Peace

 

[The Messiah]

I for one am not surprised one bit.

 

[Mad Indian]

Me neither... But hey , they are doing whats best for them:fishing::fishing::fishing:

 

[The Messiah]

Me neither... But hey , they are doing whats best for them:fishing::fishing::fishing:

yes they are fighting war on terror while aiding biggest terrorist country

 

[Mad Indian]

yes they are fighting war on terror while aiding biggest terrorist country

they will aid any country so long as it serves their goal.....!!!!! We should learn this from them....!!!!! Lets see what happens after 2014 shall we...????:bounce::bounce:

 

[Param]

they will aid any country so long as it serves their goal.....!!!!! We should learn this from them....!!!!! Lets see what happens after 2014 shall we...????:bounce::bounce:

This was your response to US aim regards Baloch in another thread_

why are you angry at some one who is willing to shed his precious blood to bleed our enemy....???? I think we should back them here... No more Aman Ki tamasha.....

Now think who is the enemy, how many are the enemies,do the number of enemies change according to POV within countries........etc.

 

[Mad Indian]

This was your response to US aim regards Baloch in another thread_


Now think who is the enemy, how many are the enemies,do the number of enemies change according to POV within countries........etc.

No what i meant was clear.... we should be like america..!!!! you still dont get me....????

 

[Param]

No what i meant was clear.... we should be like america..!!!! you still dont get me....????

We can't.

This may sound very pessimistic to nationalists but I'm being realistic.

 

[Mad Indian]

We can't.

This may sound very pessimistic to nationalists but I'm being realistic.

We should extract what is best for us just like the Americans.... Americans supported Porks in cold war era because we were closer to USSR.... now they are supporting them because they are the only way through which they can support their army... but that wont be needed after 2014... So i dont see any change before 2014... Got it....????

Further If Porks try to be closer to chinis, then obviously Americans wont be too happy about it, now that Porks wont have any bargaining chips(in 2014)...

And If US attacks Iran to dismantle its nuclear program its going to be good for us too, we dont want another nuclear state here do we...???


So i really cant see what problem you have here with Americans...... and all and i mean ALL nations are there to protect their own security and interest.... Americans are just good at it.....

 

[asianobserve]

@ Mad Indian

There will always be inflexible ideologues/nationalists... They don't realise that just like China the best way to be on par with these old powers is to join them and ride with them while you make the most out of the relations and fix your own house. You cannot be a great power by simply thinking like a great power, you have to great first. If you skip this requisite then you're nothing but an empty delusional gas bag.

 

[Mad Indian]

@ Mad Indian

There will always be inflexible ideologues/nationalists... They don't realise that just like China the best way to be on par with these old powers is to join them and ride with them while you make the most out of the relations and fix your own house. You cannot be a great power by simply thinking like a great power, you have to great first. If you skip this requisite then you're nothing but an empty delusional gas bag.

Could not have said it better myself, thanks:thumb::thumb:

 

[pmaitra]

Now after seeing this news, I am disappointed that India did not explicitly side with Iran and Syria in the recent fracas.

One thing that India did well was to carry on with trade with Iran.

 

[sob]

Now after seeing this news, I am disappointed that India did not explicitly side with Iran and Syria in the recent fracas.

One thing that India did well was to carry on with trade with Iran.

We cannot claim to be the largest democracy in the world and then side along with the mad man in Syria who is butchering his own countrymen just to remain in power.
On the other hand we go all around the world complaining about Pakistan aiding and abetting terror attacks in India, but chose to remain silent when Iran is doing the same with Israel and Lebanon. In about 2 decades Iranian backed militias have destroyed the country.
If in the past the US allied with Dictators and killers, it does not give us any moral right to follow on the same path.