It turns out the US has given something like $10 billion to Pakistan over the last 6 years. The basic plan seems to be that we give them vast pots* of cash, and then hope that they will help us out. There are a few flaws with this idea:
- $10 billion is a significant amount of cash
- We’re giving it to a military dictatorship
- We’re not, it appears, setting targets in return for the cash
- But then we’re not tracking progress anyway
- Which is good, because bin Laden is STILL free, and apparently living in Pakistan
- Did I mention that Pakistan is a military dictatorship?
The sad fact is that you don’t get to choose your friends when you lie yourself into a war, and that’s only exacerbated by the Western World’s propensity for picking its friends based on short-term expediency rather than on wishy-washy ideas like principle or morality.
(*Pots used for illustrative purposes only, actual transportation method is not publicized)