One of the more interesting blog postings I’ve read in a while has come from blogger and classmate Brian Bowman. He discusses the growing problem between the United States and Pakistan in regards to the U.S. military’s use of unmanned aircraft (drones). The Pakistani’s (our allies – so they justifiably have a gripe) have been accidental victims of some these attacks, as civilians have been lost in the pursuit of al Qaeda militants and officials. As a nation, Brian points out that we need to have better communication with the Pakistanis (and also with other Arab nations) and show empathy for the casualties. So far, the U.S. has been fairly indifferent and defensive about the matter. I agree with him in that this is probably not the right approach to take.
A lot of the frustration with this is that Pakistan hasn’t been as cooperative as the U.S. would like. I’m sure that this drone issue is making attempts to occupy certain Pakistani areas far more difficult. Also, I wonder if Pakistan taking a hard line on this issue because of the image of “bully” that the U.S. has in the Muslim world (and in other nations as well)? With sentiment in Arab nations that the U.S. feels it can just come in and take over a nation, the Pakistani government may feel they need to draw a line in order to not lose respect among its neighboring nations. Although it may not be in their best overall interest, it may be in their best regional interest to maintain this hard stance, even though it could be hinder efforts to end al Qaeda. This is just one image issue that the U.S. must overcome in that region, but clearing up this issue could be a good first step in creating better relations with other countries.
