In the Arena

A Shoe Drops

  • Share
  • Read Later

This is important. For the Obama surge to work in Afghanistan, the Taliban/Al Qaeda safe havens in Pakistan have to be cleaned out. The Pakistanis have been reluctant to do that–given that they invented the Taliban (to counter a feared Indian takeover of Afghanistan). But the Obamistas seem to have delivered an ultimatum: you move against the Quetta Shura and the Haqqani madrasa or we will. If true, this is a turning point in the war. The Pakistanis now face the George W. Bush question: Are they with us or against us? If true, this is also a turning point in the Obama foreign policy: no more Mr. Ghandi. A fascinating development on the eve of Obama’s Nobel speech.