When it comes to Afghanistan and Pakistan, US Vice President Joe Biden enjoys the privilege of having his president’s faith in his advices and recommendations. Biden’s proposals include American forces to ‘ concentrate on eliminating the Qaeda leadership, primarily in Pakistan, using Special Operations forces, Predator missile strikes and other surgical tactic,’ and ‘not increasing the number of U.S. combat troops in Afghanistan.’ With the recent, though secretive, addition of troops in Afghanistan, Obama obviously did not heed his veep’s advice.

Experts believe that the US has poor control of the situation in Afghanistan, and even less control over events in Pakistan. Critics claim that the US is clueless in Afghanistan and Pakistan, at the least, and ill-directed, at the most.

US military leaders claim that they cannot contain the enemy in Afghanistan ‘without escalating into Pakistan.’ This is a very precarious move because while Afghanistan is only a smattering of tired Taliban forces and self-serving tribal warlords, Pakistan, on the other hand, is an admittedly nuclearized country. Besides, Pakistan’s stability is clearly the US priority at the moment, with the superpower willing to pour billions of dollars in military aid into Pakistan. The US Kerry-Lugar Bill is proof to that.

Most importantly, it is in Pakistan where the US real enemy is safely ensconced, the al-Qaeda. ‘Further instability in Pakistan would only benefit al-Qaida, which has already made deep inroads into Pakistan and is unlikely to return to Afghanistan even if the U.S. withdraws from there.’

The ever-nagging suspicion that Pakistani intelligence helps insurgents and terrorists refuses to shake off. ‘Experts worry that dissident elements in the Pakistani military might supply one or more of Pakistan’s dozens of nuclear weapons to terrorists.’

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Via AlterNet