Tigerhawk has been looking at events in Pakistan with some interest, and suggests that recent events mean a lot:
In the last three days, though, there is new evidence that Pakistan is less concerned about al Qaeda today than it has been. On Friday, Pakistan acknowledged for the first time that it had allowed American troops on its soil in hot pursuit of Taliban fleeing across the border. This acknowledgement resulted in the usual uproar, but the fact of the acknowledgement suggests that Musharraf is no longer worried about the Islamist backlash. That development in and of itself is huge.One can only hope...
Woo-hoo! :D
Would be safe to say Gen. Mush was never really that worried about an islamist takeover, knowinig full well that the army calls the shots in Pakistan.
Why then would mush play games ("run with the hare and hunt with the hound") for so long, one may ask. To play the Americans for more doles and more support that can be flaunted against political opponents (including the islamists) at home. After 7/7, Mush's line wasn't convincing enough. Besides the man had a Washington DC trip lined up after all. So not rocking the boat even when Americans enter Pak soil seems rather reasoned.
In any case, Pak is probably the most dangerous of the islamofascist countries out there. Nuke armed, housing universities and factories of jihad and not above playing any unsavoury trick to get anywhere, Pak alongwith Iran & Saudi deserve closer watching.
The more extreme the Islamists become, the more clear it should be to secular Arab governments that they are just as much a target as any Western nation.
Would be safe to say Gen. Mush was never really that worried about an islamist takeover, knowinig full well that the army calls the shots in Pakistan.
Except the army has been considered to be pro-alqaeda. Either the General's hand has stengthened against the pro-Islamicist element in Pakistan or the General feels his position is weakening and is desperate for U.S. support. Just my guess.