Recent events in Pakistan are leading me to the opinion that this country may be rapidly deteriorating to a point where it becomes the single biggest threat to freedom and security in the world. I put it ahead of both Iran or North Korea. I wonder what the various Presidential candidates would say about that?
Pakistan is an Islamic nuclear power. This is not a case of Islamophobia; it is much more than that. When instability grows there, which no one can question that it is, this tiny nuclear power can tip to a nation of Muslim extremists who would then posess an estimated 100 warheads! Not only that, they also have the missles to deliver them at least several hundred miles beyond their borders.
The U.S. has trained the Pakistani military in the security measures to care for these weapons, and yet we don't even know their locations. We do know that they are scattered throughout the country, including the Afghan-border region where just this week, al Qaida fighters literaly ran off the Pakistani military troops at two different mountain outposts! Let's hope these particular soldiers were the "B" squad, and more hardened warriors are stationed next to the warheads!
In 1998, India's nuclear race with Pakistan "went to the mat" when India detonated a fairly decent size warhead underground. Pakistan responded with five! Following that, the quote from then Foreign Minister, Sardar Asif Ahmed Ali was, "...today was a triumph for Islam!" His words are ringing in my ears tonight.
We fear what Iran may be growing in their basement, but a model of what they could become might already be here in Pakistan, unless stability returns. Right now, that is in the hands of President Musharraf. Comforting, isn't it?! How far can we trust him? He probably murdered Bhutto last month. His al Qaida answer to that was almost too easy. What is the real story with him? Friend can blur into foe very easily when you study that man.
Pakistan is a Wal-Mart nuclear power. A low-budget program which gathered parts and technology from every corner of the world they could sneak it out of. But they had experts to put it together. Now it's going to take much more to take it apart. There may not be a lot of time.
2 comments:
Pakistan is an enigma wrapped in an enigma.
What do you do when there are no good choices?
Too much pressure and chaos results.
Too little pressure and no progress.
I love the pix of Fishtown.
I should have said puzzle wrapped in an enigma.
I hate it when I do that.
"Low budget" or not, it is going to be soooo hard to keep the nuclear genie (sp?)in the bottle.
Science is out there, waiting for all to discover, either by original work or by theft.
Stability is soooo important!!
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