Friends Like These

Much American blood was spilled and treasure spent to liberate Iraq from the clutches of the genocidal tyrant Saddam Hussein. While officially the combat role of United States forces has ended, more than fifty thousand Americans in uniform remain in country serving largely as trainers and advisers. Despite the still robust and capable American presence, Iraq is slipping firmly into the sphere of influence of Iran. The majority of Iraq's populace are themselves Shia and the government of Iraq is ever more openly standing with America's regional nemesis the Islamic Republic of Iran. US sacrifice to free Afghanistan seems similarly squandered as the government of Hamid Karzai may not be wholly legitimate having arisen in this term from a suspicious election and is without doubt riven with corruption with President Karzai's brother linked to the opium trade. Then there is the little matter of attempted rapprochement with the Taliban which is being implemented with the blessings of the Obama administration. The Taliban remain the antithesis of Western values and one of if not the most intolerant and misogynistic groups that has existed in enlightened times. These benighted atavists have apparently received active encouragement to stage more anti-American attacks in recent days by another alleged friend of America, the government of Pakistan. Pakistan has exhibited the actions of an implacable foe since the inception of the Terror War, with the Pakistani equivalent of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the ISI providing inspiration and material support for Osama bin Laden to found al-Qaeda and subsequently continuing to aid both al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban since then. Our Pakistani ally even had elements of their intelligence agency involved in the Mumbai terror slaughter that left several American citizens dead. There can be little doubt that as America pressures her one true Middle Eastern friend Israel back into suicide borders, that the United States can not afford such duplicitous friends as are rearing their heads in the Arab world and the Asian subcontinent.