‘This Is Not South Vietnam’
The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung reports that after a tense week, the Obama administration believes neither a Taliban takeover nor a military coup is in
Jul 31, 2020250.4K Shares7.1M Views
The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung reportsthat after a tense week, the Obama administration believes “neither a Taliban takeover nor a military coup” is in the offing in Pakistan. The Pakistanis, meanwhile, are feeling dictated to. A quote given to DeYoung speaks to a point raised in my earlier post:
“„“What are the Americans trying to do, micromanage our politics?” a senior Pakistani official said testily. “This is not South Vietnam.”
Whoever said that knows how to touch an American nerve. But the point holds. There’s a fine line between attempting to influence Pakistani policy and treating it as a client state. In the heat of panic about a collapsing Pakistani civilian government the distinction too often erodes in Washington.
And consider this from a Pakistani viewpoint. After every election in which the parties switch places, Americans like to tell ourselves either that we’ve wiped the slate clean from the previous administration (if we approve of the new ruling party) or that we’re turning our backs on a tested method of governance (if we don’t). But no one overseas chops the behavior of the United States into neat four-year installments. There’s always going to appear to be more continuity than change in American behavior to a foreign audience, since we can’t expect foreigners to view our politics with the attention to detail and nuance that we do. And so if you live in a country that spent the last eight years being told by the United States that it had to be vastly more attentive to terrorism than to its traditional concerns and is now being told that it has to be even moreattentive, it’s understandable to think that the United States is ramping up its efforts to control your affairs.
The Obama administration thinks only an outbreak of Real Talk can help. Here’s how an official described Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s remarks to Congress last week that Pakistan was waving a white flag before the Taliban:
“„“Absolutely, they’re getting irritated,” a senior U.S. official said of the Pakistanis. Clinton, he said, “knows she went too far” in her unscripted testimony. “But on the other hand,” he said, “it was that kind of statement that helped wake up the Pakistanis.”
Except if it makes them inclined to view Clinton and Obama as irritants rather than partners.
Dexter Cooke
Reviewer
Dexter Cooke is an economist, marketing strategist, and orthopedic surgeon with over 20 years of experience crafting compelling narratives that resonate worldwide.
He holds a Journalism degree from Columbia University, an Economics background from Yale University, and a medical degree with a postdoctoral fellowship in orthopedic medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dexter’s insights into media, economics, and marketing shine through his prolific contributions to respected publications and advisory roles for influential organizations.
As an orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive knee replacement surgery and laparoscopic procedures, Dexter prioritizes patient care above all.
Outside his professional pursuits, Dexter enjoys collecting vintage watches, studying ancient civilizations, learning about astronomy, and participating in charity runs.
Latest Articles
Popular Articles