Try as she might to persuade suspicious Pakistanis of America’s good intentions and determination, it appears that Hillary Clinton’s charm campaign and promises of billions of dollars in aid have fallen short. According to this editorial from Pakistan’s Frontier Post, American promises have historically not been kept, so why should anyone believe them now?
The Frontier Post editorial says in part:
What has come of even that “destiny-changing” annual U.S. dole of $1.5 billion, the puny prospects of which transported the simpletons in Islamabad into visions of golden times and opulent sunshine? Months have gone by since the U.S. Congress sanctioned that yearly charity, together with an array of demeaning and humiliating conditions, yet the tap still seems closed. If anything has quietly trickled in, it hasn’t been publicized and is known only to officials.
What we do know, is that the measly sum of $125 million was promised months ago to somewhat refurbish the country’s greatly-troubled energy sector. What we see are intermittent rounds of “strategic dialogue” and endless meetings between working groups meant to enliven bilateral relations and improve cooperation with the U.S. It remains to be seen what will become of the program if, by the time it’s complete and takes operational form, the Obama Administration will have achieved its objectives in Afghanistan and begun to pull out.
This has happened before. The U.S. pledged $4.2 billion in economic and military aid while we fought their proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Not even half of that had arrived when the invaders withdrew, and our American friends instantly forgot all about the place. They also forgot about the F-16’s we paid for with our own cold cash, although they never forgot to charge us parking fees for planes they flatly refused to deliver. When, years later, they agreed to refund our money, they didn’t do so in cash, but in a commodity – soybean oil, which we could have purchased much cheaper somewhere else. Who can say if things will be any different this time? America’s leaders are so unpredictable that no psychic or astrologer would try to answer.
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