What happens if.....
Reader comment on item: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia: On Whose Side?

Submitted by Werner (United States), Jul 28, 2005 at 23:11

the USA puts more demands on crack down on Saudi Arabia?

1. Saudi ignores it and plays it game as usual. What kind of leverage does the USA have?

2. Saudi really try to crack down, it uproots a hell and there is civil war in Saudi. Given the position over the holy sites of Muslim what is going to happen, who is going to win, what is the US going to do when there is civil war? Can they engage in a territory considered holy to many Muslim? With which repercussions?

3. The Saudis put their faith into radical Islam (I guess they do that anyway already today), what is the US going to do? Invade? Sanctions? UN? It seems they are not in such a nice position to do all this things. If they demand and pose a threat then they may have to back it up, but for what price? Is there a movement for secular democracy in Saudi? produce a civil war Shias against Wahabis? What would be the realistic choices the US has? Have China haywired because of the oil with its current threats and North Korea with all that nuclear stuff?

The same is with Pakistan. One doesn't have to like Musharaf (I personally think he is not too bad, after all he is military and they are not so different all around the world) but what other options does the US have?

Pakistan has nuclear weapons that is a prize all the jihadis want to have.

So what to do with Pakistan?

Keep Musharaf and continue what the US did in the past. Is that going to work? Obviously Musharaf did escape all assasination attempts in a very volatile and treacherous environment. That means he is no fool. That means he is capabable of something. Musharaf put a great portion of trust (out of pressure or not I don't ask) into the US and the US supports him. Obviously the terrorist/islamist side is after him that means they see that similarly. What is he really doing for the US? Why is he a worthy partner (or is he the best option you can get of many choices you fear are worse?) .

My brother who is a pilot in the german army (and they have good connection among themselves) told me that german forces in Afghanistan were up to 500 yards to OBL to capture him but were called back by american senior officers. Recently I heard a comment from a US government official that they have a pretty good idea were OBL is. Assumed both information are true that led me to the conclusion that Musharaf may have some problems if OBL is caught. On second thaughts if OBL really wanted to kill Musharaf with all the resources available to him Musharaf would be dead by now. That means something fishy is going on.

But what if the US thinks, Musharaf is a traitor what do they do? Kick him out of office and then what? Call for elections? Have an OBL deputy in charge of Pakistan? Invade Pakistan? call the Indians to that? What realistic options does the US have in Pakistan?

I do think the US is doing the best it can. Put reasonable demands on him and support him as much as deemed good.

greetings

Werner

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