Stephane Dion says if Pakistan won't clean the insurgents and terrorists out of its ungovernable tribal areas, NATO forces should go in and do it for them.
Say what?
This is what the National Spot claims Dion said: "We are going to have to discuss that very actively if they (the Pakistanis) are not able to deal with it on their own. We could consider that option with the NATO forces in order to help Pakistan help us pacify Afghanistan."
At the same time Dion proposed NATO take on a mission in Pakistan far tougher than the one it's currently bungling in Afghanistan, the Liberal leader reiterated that he wants Canadian troops out of their Kandahar combat mission very soon.
Is this guy serious? Just where does Dion think NATO is going to conjure up the masses of troops that would be needed to attempt to conquer and occupy Pakistan's tribal lands? Dion seems to think the answer is easy.
"For the mission to succeed, NATO must apply the principle of rotation. When a country is in the most difficult combat mission during three years, there must be a time for rotation," he said.
Memo to Stephane: 1. NATO doesn't have any soldiers available to rotate in to relieve us in Kandahar. The "principle of rotation" is nothing more than fantasy. 2. If NATO can't muster an effective troop level to secure Afghanistan, there's not one chance in hell it would be able to amass a force several times that large to move on Pakistan's tribal lands.
Sorry, Dion supporters but this performance was simply embarassing. If we're going to get rid of Stephen Harper, we're going to need a much better leader than this.
Great post!
ReplyDeletethere's a growing consensus among foreign policy experts that working hard in afghanistan without plugging the leaks from pakistan is counterproductive, wasteful, and short-sighted.
ReplyDeletedon't underestimate the seriousness of the problem in pakistan.
i don't think dion is forwarding easy answers, here. in fact, i would imagine that being married to a counter-terrorism expert probably keeps this subject high on his home agenda.
obama was chided the first time he said this, too - only to find the establishment echoing the very same thing months later.
Gosh, how many platitude do I need to repeat? How about these two:
ReplyDelete1. Never get in a land war in Asia.
2. If you want to get out of a hole, stop digging.
Invade Pakistan? Jesus, a country with nukes. Brilliant Stephane, friggin brilliant.