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| India-Pakistan |
| Clinton in Pakistan encounters widespread distrust of U.S. |
| 2009-11-01 |
| Islamabad, Pakistan - Every time Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to win over Pakistanis during her three-day charm offensive last week, they fired back a polite but firm message: We don't really trust your country. No matter how hard Clinton tried to reassure audiences in Lahore and Islamabad with talk of providing economic aid where it's needed most, Pakistanis seized on her visit as the perfect moment to lash out at a U.S. government they perceive as arrogant, domineering and insensitive to their plight. At a televised town hall meeting in Islamabad, the capital, on Friday, a woman in a mostly female audience characterized U.S. drone missile strikes on suspected terrorist targets in northwestern Pakistan as de facto acts of terrorism. A day earlier in Lahore, a college student asked Clinton why every student who visits the U.S. is viewed there as a terrorist. The opinions Clinton heard weren't the strident voices of radical clerics or politicians with anti-U.S. agendas. Some of the most biting criticisms came from well-mannered university students and respected, seasoned journalists, a reflection of the breadth of dissatisfaction Pakistanis have with U.S. policy toward their country. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #5 India is thriving whilst Pakistan is a Mess.Who's fault is that Hamid Gul? The Jews? (Isn't that the default answer anywhere in the Muslim world...even places like Malaysia, where I doubt there are any Jews to start with?) |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2009-11-01 23:20 |
| #4 It is easy to blame the US/West but the fact is The Pakistan foreign policy of using extremists/hatred towards their neighbors/rest of the world has got them in the mess they are now in!Where is your pals/sponsors the Saudis when you need them? You reap what you sow Pakistan! India is thriving whilst Pakistan is a Mess.Who's fault is that Hamid Gul? |
| Posted by: Paul2 2009-11-01 12:29 |
| #3 Too bad there isn't a widespread distrust of Pakistan in U.S. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-11-01 11:57 |
| #2 "You had one 9/11, and we are having daily 9/11s in Pakistan," What do they have in common? They were organized, sponsored and abetted by Pakistanis in high government positions. |
| Posted by: ed 2009-11-01 08:02 |
| #1 "Look, Madam Secretary, we are fighting a war that is imposed on us," journalist Shirazi told Clinton. "It's not our war. That was your war, and we are fighting that war." I'm sure the Mexican government said something along the same lines when the US Army put enough pressure on the Apaches raiding from Mexican territory that they felt it was easier just to loot local Mexicans than cross the Rio Grande. Mexico City wouldn't give us the time of day while the Apache were raiding here. When it came home, then they took notice that they were part of the solution. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-11-01 07:40 |