Saturday, May 7, 2011

CRS: Congressional Skepticism About Pakistan Has Deepened

The Congressional Research Service has a new report out on Osama bin Laden’s Death: Implications and Considerations. The biggest consideration might be whether or not Congress want to go on funding billions in direct aid to Pakistan.

In the wake of revelations that the world’s most-wanted terrorist had apparently been living for years in a comfortable home in a relatively affluent city and only one kilometer away from Pakistan’s premier military academy, congressional skepticism about the continuation of large aid disbursements to Pakistan has deepened even further. On May 3, 2011, H.R. 1699, the Pakistan Foreign Aid Accountability Act, was introduced in the House. The Act would prohibit future foreign assistance to Pakistan unless the Secretary of State certifies that the Pakistani government was not complicit in hiding OBL. Depending on the course of Pakistan’s future policy statements and levels of cooperation with the United States, Congress may choose to adjust current assistance funding levels. Such funding flows are already hindered by U.S. concerns about corruption and lack of transparency in Pakistan’s implementing partners.


Add complicity in hiding OBL on top of the customary corruption and "lack of transparency," and it sounds like Pakistan has had its three strikes.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post TSB! (I thought CRS was a brain disorder shared by most of my friends over the past 20 years.) I hope they pass it and also amend it to include Afghanistan. gwb

Anonymous said...

http://weaselzippers.us/2011/05/08/former-u-s-ambassador-to-pakistan-obama-showed-as-much-courage-as-our-navy-seals/
TSB: The best picture of Obama swagger and the greatest media adulation quote!... as we enter week 2 of the Obama victory lap! gwb

TSB said...

I/m surprised to see that Wendy Camberlain is now the President of the Middle East Institute. She didn't show great courage herself when she was our Ambassador to Pakistan for a few months back in 2001. She curtained early when the embassy went to unaccompanied (no family) status, which killed her career. They kicked her over to USAID for a couple of years until she retired.

I'm not surprised that she would be on the Obama bandwagon, though.

Anonymous said...

TSB: No Fair! You didn't tell us this whole UBL Kabuki dance was based on a secret 2001 Bush-Musharaff agreement that we could do anything we wanted and the Pak government would just scream about it to appease the masses. (Guardian) This thing really is screwy isn't it? gwb

TSB said...

Any deal we had with Musharaff wouldn't transfer to the next government, so I'm a little leery about that news. Anyway, no Pak President or PM can deliver the rest of the government - military and ISI - if he makes such a deal. I think they are being sincere with the outrage and embarrassment.

Anonymous said...

Hillary Gears Up For Her Next "Liquid War". (Wikileaks strikes again!)Revealed: the secret battle for the riches of the Arctic
Shaun Walker: Leaked cables show how nations are carving up pristine wilderness. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/revealed-the-secret-battle-for-the-riches-of-the-arctic-2283229.html gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: We missed you! Twodays! Juancole.com today says the Pak parliament grilled the military guys for 11 hrs yesterday and decided no more US incursions or drone strikes or they will stop the transport of supplies to Afghanistan. They also made it clear they are fed up with Zardari's lies revealed by Wikileaks!
gwb

TSB said...

I hope they do stop the transit of supplies. That might bring our own Congress to the point of insisting we withdraw from Afghanistan. High time, IMHO.