U.S. Key To Curbing South Asia Terror

Zakaria, Woodward Among Authors Discussing Obama Administration Foreign Policy On Face The Nation

(CBS)  In the wake of the tragic Mumbai attacks this past week, the United States is in a unique position to help South Asian countries combat terrorism - but only if they can see beyond their own national security.

So said Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, who appeared with other noted political authors on CBS' Face The Nation.

"What's happening now is, the problems of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India are bleeding into one another," Zakaria said, "so that what you have is a kind of South Asian terrorism, where these groups are feeding off each other, finding pockets where they can train in lawless parts of the country," including areas where governments have not maintained control for 200 years.

Zakaria, author of "The Post-American World" (Norton), said that the Pakistanis rationalization that while some militants are bad others are good (including those groups which the Pakistani military has created, trained and sustained for three decades) if they serve Pakistan's national security interests.

"The Pakistani military used to feel the good militants are the ones that destabilize India and Afghanistan, which is good for Pakistan, and the bad ones are the ones that kill Pakistani citizens. The problem is they're all blurring into one another."

Zakaria said the Pakistani government seems more understanding of this reality, but that it might take America - and its purse strings - to affect change.

"We've given Pakistan $10 billion of aid over the last five or six years. We have close relations with the military. If any outside player can play a role here, it's us. And I think it would be to try to make the Pakistanis understand that, you know, it is not in their interest that Afghanistan be unstable, that India be on edge, that they will prosper as a nation. It's a sort of broader, you know, economic understanding of national security than a narrow, competitive political-military one.

"And there's a really interesting question of, can you get the Pakistani military to see their national security in this broader way?"

Joining in the discussion of U.S. foreign policy in the upcoming Obama administration was investigative reporter Jane Mayer, author of "The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals" (Doubleday).

Meyer (left) said, contrary to the Bush-Cheney administration, Obama is dividing his national security portfolio rather than giving it over to the vice president, as President Bush did. "Obama so far seems to be so much more involved in the details and in kind of wanting to command the policies all the way up and down," she said.

"Another difference that is very important is that both the president coming in and the vice president are lawyers. And one of the things that happened in the last administration was neither of them were, they were not constitutional scholars. And they enacted policies, including legalizing torture for all purposes, that really were not constitutional. And I don't think we're going to see that again.

"And the secretary of state is also a lawyer now," she added, referring to Obama's selection of Sen. Hillary Clinton. "These people respect the law, I think."

Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward (left), author of "The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008" (Simon & Schuster), concurred that the new administration will represent "a whole new center of gravity for the news media, for the world."

Calling Obama's national security team "amazing," he likened it to Goldilocks and the Three Bears: "You've got 'too cool,' which might be - or at least 'appropriately cool' - General Jones as the national security adviser; Gates is kind of 'just right,' in the middle; and Hillary Clinton, 'hot.'"

Referring to Obama's pick of Hillary (of whom he said, "She never goes away"), Woodward said that Obama's choice reflects, perhaps, the notion that because the deep economic crisis will require so much of his time, "go ahead and give Hillary and Bill the world."

Zakaria said that while Hillary may "get the world," and she will certainly be doing her share of traveling, the appointment of Marine General James L. Jones (a former NATO commander, aide to Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, and critic of Rumsfeld's handling of the Pentagon) as National Security Adviser "suggests that Iraq and Afghanistan will be managed out of the White House."

In addition to foreign policy, the standing of America abroad due to the election of Barack Obama will mark a sea change, said Michael Eric Dyson, author of "April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Death and How It Changed America" (Basic Civitas).

Dyson (left) said that because Obama was following in the tradition of civil rights battles but was not implicated in internecine skirmishes, he is not blemished by the wounds of civil right battles when he talks about race. "I think that gives him a kind of moral purchase in the broader world," he said.

He also said his background teaching constitutional law and working in poor communities will shape how he approaches the work of the administration. "It may not be his race as much as his community organizing background that will play a significant difference here, because a person who has organized poor people, who has attempted to get their interests and concerns as part of his bailiwick, will exert a profound influence over those issues when it comes to the economy, when it comes to making America safe, when it comes to protecting borders, and when it comes to trying to articulate ideas that will resonate not simply with African-Americans but more broadly."

Mayer agreed: "To the rest of the world, it sends a tremendous signal, I agree, especially at a point where we're being accused in this country of not living up to our ideals because of things like Guantanamo and black site prisons.

"And so to have an election where it shows that democracy really works and there's a meritocracy in the country and racism isn't going to stop somebody from getting to the top, I think has been a tremendously, liberating moment for the country - and for the rest of the world.

"It's totally discomfited al Qaeda, among others," she added. "You have got these bizarre sort of statements from Ayman Zawahiri, the spokesman for al Qaeda, trying to sort of readjust himself and say that, you know, America is still a racist country. He's kind of at a loss for how to deal with this. So it's been very helpful."

---

Read the full "Face the Nation" transcript here.

By CBSNews.com producer David Morgan.

[forparity]

Where in the world, and how in the world does such jibberish stand?

Woodward and Fareed Zakaria both presenet that there were huge surpluses/$5.4 trillion in Jan. 2001. There were a couple of nice little surpluses - the big ones were silly projected surpluses which were fictional once the Clinton era bubble collapsed in March of 2000. Would have been the same for Gore - or worse.

And the world was in a state of crisis in late 2000, by the way. The 1990''s were marked by historic genocides, civil wars, starvation, nuclear scares, terrorism, and HIV/Aids running unchecked.

[bjcone8559]

This horrible crime in India%u2019s premier commercial center is the direct result of President Bush%u2019s adventurism in Iraq and as such he is accountable. For, without the unnecessary Iraq war, Terrorism would have dealt a significant if not crippling blow by now. Al-Quada would have been defeated in Pakistan and Afghanistan and their satellite terrorist organizations and connections would have been defeated. Even after more than seven years since 9/11, we still are unable to find major Al-Quada leaders like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri. Nor have we been able to cripple Al-Quada. This is a major stain on the Bush legacy. This is the price we have paid for Bush''''s adventurism in Iraq. This President foolishly focused his gaze and resources on Iraq while Al-Quada continued to grow and cause trouble using Afghanistan and Pakistan as its staging ground and home states.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by DrSam8


What you have stated is an obvious truth. Can someone please explain why so many followers of the republican party deny this?

[drsam8]

This horrible crime in India%u2019s premier commercial center is the direct result of President Bush%u2019s adventurism in Iraq and as such he is accountable. For, without the unnecessary Iraq war, Terrorism would have dealt a significant if not crippling blow by now. Al-Quada would have been defeated in Pakistan and Afghanistan and their satellite terrorist organizations and connections would have been defeated. Even after more than seven years since 9/11, we still are unable to find major Al-Quada leaders like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri. Nor have we been able to cripple Al-Quada. This is a major stain on the Bush legacy. This is the price we have paid for Bush''s adventurism in Iraq. This President foolishly focused his gaze and resources on Iraq while Al-Quada continued to grow and cause trouble using Afghanistan and Pakistan as its staging ground and home states.

[juwboy]

MikeTotten1:

When Hitler came to power, one of his first acts was the elimination of his political opponents -- Socialists, Communists, Marxists, Trotskyites, labor leaders and other left-wingers.

Next he turned his attention to the group he considered the gretest threat to the purity of his glorious German master-race.

It wasn`t the Jews.

Or the gipsies.

Or homosexu@ls.

It was the mentally-retarded and feeble-minded.

Idiots, imbeciles, half-wits, simpletons, morons and cretins.

People just like you, MikeTotten1.

[lindh4]

Actually, the US is no longer a "key" to anything. It has spent itself into a third rate power in terms of diplomacy, finance, manufacturing and scientific standing. Add that to the fact that its military is exhausted and you have what is called a "has been" nation, something akin to Austria''s status after WWI.

For myself, the most significant aspect of all this is also the most underdiscussed and undereported.
That is: the golden, once-in-a-century, opportunity we had following the tragedy of 9/11.
The whole world was solidly behind us and on our side.
The recruiting offices were packed with courageous, patriotic young Americans willing to fight for this country (they can''t buy a recruit now).
We couldn''t have HAD any more in terms of resources to fight these murderin'' fanatics.
And the cowardly neocons (not a one of ''em ever served in the military) lied and crookedly hijacked it all to go off after oil profits.
I don''t see how anyone who wants to call himself an American could NOT be after their hides.

Now, we''re gonna have to go back and deal with the fanatics. And now, it''s gonna be several orders of magnitude more expensive (in lotsa different currencies), more difficult, and more deadly.
All because of traitors in high places.

[grandesign]

Let the metric be; "If it''s wrong for them to do it, it''s wrong for us to do it.
Posted by tschrunk at 10:54 PM : Nov 30, 2008

Religious people are often hypocrits. They say one thing and do another. The Muslims believe that they can commit any sin, i.e., murder, steal, adultry, etc., on any infidel. They have a different perception of wrong.

[grandesign]

All faiths need to purify themselves because we are now receiving the result of our choice and we need to change to receive the blessings while they are still available.
Posted by MarieDevine at 08:01 PM : Nov 30, 2008

Oh that''s why. How simple is that.

Did everyone get that?

[grandesign]

"We''ve given Pakistan $10 billion of aid over the last five or six years."

So, we use more than that much in one month for our U.S. Forces in Iraq--about $11 Billion a month.

[papabc]

Sounds like US is always the KEY until 4 - 8 years have passed then the KEY changes. Terrorist know this so will wait as they have for many years.

The next weak point will be the target of attack.

Maybe it is time for other None Terrorist nations to step up and join in. How many None Terrorist supporting nations can you count on your left hand? Will they spill over to your right?

[tschrunk]

Let the metric be; "If it''s wrong for them to do it, it''s wrong for us to do it.

[flsunjnky]

Your really right, Mike, I''m glad you said that.

[flsunjnky]

Maybe we already know that, I think we do. But, how long did it take Bush to respond to the message that we were under attack? He sat there and continued to read to school children before he got his head together, wasting precious time. I don''t think we will see that kind of uncertainty in this administration.

As a simple step, US could ask Pakistan to let the US verify and then eliminate the terrorist bases in POK and Karachi. If the Pakistan government cannot do it, US should be able to do it with Pakistan%u2019s agreement. They can start with verifying the telephone numbers in Pakistan that the terrorists were said to have been contacting. By inspecting the logs, they can find out who else was in contact with the base.

[flsunjnky]

I agree with you mortal3, but hang on to your shorts, we are gonna see something very different than what has been going on for the past 8 years, that''s for sure, and that is why he was elected.

[breadline1]

Ah, ***! let the ********** kill each other. the''re bankrupting this country. they hate our guts, no matter what we do to befriend them. they would kill every last one of us given the chance. let them nuke each other into oblivian. maybe we''ll get lucky and all the leftover radiation will blow into china, afganastan and a few other places and solve those problems too. why should we support any country like pakastan that supports the terrorists that kill our soldiers that are trying to help them. why should we give them billions of dollars so they can subsidize poppy fields for smak and opium, and coke? all they know how to do is overbreed and blame the rest of the world for there problems. nukes will end there problems once and for all in 25 minutes. let ''em kill each other.

[toolmangler-2009]

Posted by curse914 at 06:33 PM : Nov 30, 2008



That would pretty well end everything, wouldn''t it?

[legacyabq]

I will tell you what will undo globalization, the collapse of the food chain.


Posted by curse914 at 06:33 PM : Nov 30, 2008


AAAHaahahahahahahahaa

LOL

[legacyabq]

"And there''s a really interesting question of, can you get the Pakistani military to see their national security in this broader way?"


NO YOU CANT

No one is seeking to see "in a broader way", i.e. intelligently and rationally..
Thats the problem.

[toolmangler-2009]

clean up the rats nest.
Posted by seis-6-seis at 07:30 PM : Nov 30, 2008



That doesn''t get rid of ''all'' the Muslims.