Joel Brinkley
What does
Since 2001, the U.S. has given
In
Despairing over the rampant theft of U.S. aid, a few months ago the
Face it: Pakistanis hate Americans. Look at that poor CIA contractor, Raymond Davis, who languished in a miserable Pakistani prison for more than a month after shooting two men who were trying to rob him. Neither Pakistani judicial nor government officials were willing to let him go, afraid that whoever authorized his release would be targeted for assassination -- like the two government officials killed so far this year because they betrayed liberal, "Western" sentiments.
A recent public-opinion survey found that barely 21 percent of the nation had any respect whatsoever for
What does
Almost all of that
Incredibly, the Pentagon went along with this -- afraid to offend their "allies." A Congressional Research Report notes that "the
Not long ago, when new U.S. intelligence suddenly showed an unusually opportune moment to hit senior Al Qaeda leaders, Pakistanis said they couldn't take on the mission "due to a shortage of counterinsurgency equipment," the congressional report said. Could there be better evidence of billions wasted?
The U.S. has managed to kill some Al Qaeda militants using missiles fired from drones.
What does
The Obama administration is trying a new approach -- spend another
That information came in over the new fraud hotline. The Pakistani media picked it up, and one province's director general for disaster management was fired.
Given the rampant theft, the
How ludicrous is this? Instead, the aid money will "enrich the nation's leaders." The two agencies compromised; half the money will be spent through non-government groups, but the other half will be placed directly into the outstretched hands of grinning government officials.
What does
Steal our money, threaten and imprison our people, loath and abuse us. Why can't anyone in
- Yemen in Crisis: A Special Report
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- Libya Crisis: Video Reports 3/22/2011
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- Chernobyl's Lessons for Japan
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- Officials Claim Positive Signs on Japanese Reactor
- Nuclear Meltdown at Quake-Damaged Japanese Plant
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- How a Libyan No-fly Zone Could Backfire
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- Democracy Must Be the Future of the Middle East
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- Bahrain and the Battle Between Iran and Saudi Arabia
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- Yemen: Divided Dissent
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- Currency Wars: Then and Now
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- The Advantages of an Assertive China
- China's Search for a Grand Strategy
- Will China's Rise Lead to War?
- Getting China to Sanction Iran
- How al Qaeda Works
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- Cambodia: A Temple and a Tempest
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- Doing Multiculturalism Right
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- Egypt's Dim Future
- Demographics of Arab Protests
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- The Threat of Civil Unrest in Pakistan and the Davis Case
- Davos Man and the Real World
- From Davos to D.C., A Crossroads Moment for the World
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- Egypt: The Distance Between Enthusiasm and Reality
- Egypt Revolt Part of a Long History of Uprisings
- Hope Amid the Chaos in Cairo
- Egypt's Uphill Economic Struggles
- The United States - Egypt Breakup: Washington's Limited Options in Cairo
- Egypt a 'Textbook' Foreign Policy Dilemma
- Egypt's Widening Discontent
- Egypt Aflame
- Obama Meets Foreign Policy Test in Egypt
- Tunisia: Moment in the Sun
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- No Justice, No Peace
- American-Israeli Policy To Be Tested By Arab Uprisings
- Israel, Turkey and Iran: Neighbourly Strain
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- Montenegro: The Survivor Exits
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- Humanitarian Workers: Aid for the Aid Givers
- U.S. Officials Talk Tough With China
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- Obama Served Peace Prize too Early
- America's China Syndrome
- Tunisia's Lessons for Repressive Regimes
- Tunisia: A Popular Uprising But Then What?
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- Afganistan: Nurturing a Narco-State
- Top Global Risks of 2011
- China and United States Need Overarching Concept for Interaction
- China's Growing Military Might Poses Many Policy Questions
- Britain and China: Then and Now
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- Islam's Hijackers and Hijackees
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- Nigerian Elections: Levelling the Playing Fields
- Nigerian Elections: Changing of the Old Guard?
- Sudan: Beyond Southern Sudan
- Afghanistan: Deadly Addiction
- The Euro: Until Death Do Us Part
- Russia: Rewriting History
- Gulf States Should Take a DIY Approach With Iran
- Back to 'Normal' in the Middle East
- America: Uneasy Engagement
- America: Flying Into Turbulence
- Obama and Human Rights: Continuity and Change
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- South America Enters Middle East Quagmire
- The Political Power of Social Media
- West Is Best? Why Civilizations Rise and Fall
- Exploring the Influence of Culture on Military Doctrine
- The Good News About Gas
- Less Than Zero: Bursting the New Disarmament Bubble
- Why Moscow Says No
- A Third Way to Palestine - Fayyadism and Its Discontents
- The Dangers of a Nuclear Iran
- Plan B in Afghanistan
- The Fallout of the Global Gun Trade
- Finish the Job: How the War in Afghanistan Can Be Won
- Why the Rich Are Getting Richer
- A Leaner and Meaner Defense
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- The American 21st Century
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- A Wave of Christianophobia
- Lessons From the Iraq War for Afghanistan
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- Facebook, Twitter and the Search for Peace in the Middle East
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- Sudan's Referendum: Prickly Interdependence
- Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy: Limits of Being Helpful
- Iraq Refugees: Seeking Safety
- Troublesome Partner in Afghanistan
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- Counterfeit Medicines: Health and Harm
- Food Supply: Lunchtime Blues
- Cybersecurity and Society: bigsociety.com
- America's Credibility Deficit
- Global Warming Conference Faces Meltdown
- WikiLeaks Disclosures Not Earth Shattering
- WikiLeaks May End Up Helping America
- WikiLeaks and The Invisible Government
- Wikileaks: More Than Just an Embarrassment
- Wikileaks: Undiplomatic Diplomacy
- A WikiLeaks Wake-up Call
- Will WikiLeaks Hobble U.S. Diplomacy?
- How WikiLeaks Can Make Us Less Free
- Wikileaks: Small Revelations That May Cause a Big Idea to Take Hold
Available at Amazon.com:
Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America's Wars in the Muslim World
Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East (The Contemporary Middle East)
The End of History and the Last Man
The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States and Corporations?
Running Out of Water: The Looming Crisis and Solutions to Conserve Our Most Precious Resource
Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water
Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization
At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes
Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century
Dining With al-Qaeda: Three Decades Exploring the Many Worlds of the Middle East
Uprising: Will Emerging Markets Shape or Shake the World Economy
Copyright 2011, JOEL BRINKLEY; DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.