It is a lot more complex than anyone can imagine – a Pakistani friend of mine was recently visiting his home country to clear up some family business and he described a society which is only barely functioning. He’s disgusted with the whole thing and hopes never to have to go back to his homeland again (he became an American citizen some time ago). To hear him tell it, Iranians and Indians and Afghan warlords and various Pakistani factions are all engaged in a massive, criminal conspiracy against the people of Pakistan – who, if my friend is anything to go on, are decent, hardworking people who just want to be left alone. This rings true to me.
As I’ve said before, we live in an Age of Lies. Dishonesty is not just something done, it is something very often preferred to the truth. Further, those who insist upon truth are usually considered annoying to an extreme degree. This is because lies are easier to go along with than truth – lies usually only require that you accept them, while truth usually requires that you do something. When we couple this natural fact about lies and truth with an amazingly large number of people who are willing to lie all the time and everywhere, we get the socio-political stew we are current beset with. First and foremost as we try to figure out what to do is to admit to the truth as far as we can determine it.
The plain fact of the matter is that none of us likely has a clear idea of what goes on in Waziristan and other undergoverned areas of Pakistan. People who have taken some time to read history will note that this very same area gave the British Raj no end of trouble and provoked a large number of ultimately fruitless punitive expeditions to the area. While an outsider can only know so much, it appears to me that the people of that are area fiercely independent, want to be left alone and consider any sort of trade to be legitimate trade – whether its television sets or rocket launchers, goat cheese or opium. I’m not sold on the story that the people of the area are in love with the Afghan and Arab Jihadists who have set up shop – but if said Jihadists are leaving the locals alone and providing money and goods the locals want, then I can see very much how the locals would want to help protect a lucrative source of income in a very impoverished area of the world.
Another important thing to consider is that the people of that area are, well, people. And one thing we know about is people – being people, ourselves. What do we want? To be left alone; given a hand when things are rough; protected from predators; able to work to improve our lives and the lives of our children…that sort of thing. Stands to reason that most people in Pakistan want the same things – and thus the ultimate problem of Pakistan is how to set up a system where the people – the average Ismail on the street – can get what most everyone wants.
We’re already doing part of it – those Predator strikes we see from time to time are probably coupled with various Special Forces operations; we’re taking out Jihadist leaders, and thus getting rid of predators and people who essentially bring a world of hurt to the people of that area. On the other hand, I haven’t seen much effort to purchase the loyalty of the locals. Who has more money, al Qaeda or the United States? If we can flush $700 billion down the Wall Street toilet, then I think we can afford to spread some swag around Waziristan. It might seem crude and mercenary – but, then again, that is precisely what it is, so its best we’re honest about it. We want to take out the really bad guys and bribe in to service the not-so-bad guys in order that the good guys can gain the upper hand by building up a quality of life which makes whatever the bad guys are selling seem worthless.
Fundamentally, the cure for Pakistan is to be found in victory in the Global War on Terrorism – and that war is only to be won by spreading liberty, security and prosperity to areas of the world which have known little or none of such things since the dawn of history. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but if we dispense with BS and work with what we actually know or can genuinely assume, then we’ll be half way there.
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