Pakistan playing both sides of Afghan conflict
Pakistani officials have admitted that the capture of a high ranking Taliban operative was a direct attempt to impact negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
James Hanson, MSG Ret. of BLACKFIVE.net, who predicted this circumstance months ago, said the Pakistani government may be coming forward now because they are concerned that the Obama administration has empowered the Karzai government in Afghanistan. Pakistan is in need of an angle to “put themselves in the driver’s seat” of the war and peace processes, he argued.
The US and Pakistan are still allies, even under the circumstances, because the US still needs them. It is necessity, explained Hanson.
“The problem we have, and it’s the CIA’s biggest weak spot, is they don’t do human intelligence very well. So, we don’t have agents, we don’t have people on the ground who can tell us what’s going on. So, we really on the Pakistanis to go ahead and give us the human intelligence, then we use our electronic intelligence capabilities, which is our strength,” said Hanson.
He argued that Pakistan helps to run the Taliban leaders. They assisted in setting-up the Taliban and have and will always be their support, Hanson argued.
“It’s all Machiavellian byzantine politics over there. And I think we need to be as good at it as they are. You know, we know they are not honest brokers. Anybody who believes the Pakistanis have been playing straight with us is deranged,” said Hanson.
To work with Pakistan the US has to play the same game, he argued. The US needs to ensure the Karzai government is putting the right kind of pressure on Pakistan and must also play the “India card” at the right times.
“What we have to do is make sure that we don’t allow the Pakistani’s to play us,” said Hanson.
How does the US ensure they aren’t played? “Good luck,” said Hanson.
“We give everybody money, but they all want us to leave. They want our money, they want our influence, but they don’t want occupation. The Afghans don’t. The Pakistanis want our money, they want to be an ally because that helps them, but in the end they don’t think we’re going to be stay there that long, so they’re planning for ‘after the Americans.’ And they don’t want a peace made of any way, shape or form that they don’t control,” said Hanson.
Investigative journalist and RT contributor Wayne Madsen said the New York Times is brining the public half of the story, a story that makes the CIA “look like a bunch of idiots.” Madsen further argued that the situation between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US is a quagmire.
