Assalam Alaikum,

Brother Tropican I respect ur views on foreign policies, but may disagree with u as far as bhutto goes, but that debate should be put off for some other time.

I truly think that we should follow our Brother Muslim countries example in Asia Pacific, where they have adopted a policy of Progress at Home, and Peace Abroad.

Unfortuntely because of our unjust partition by british, and the danger looming large from India have always forced us to associate ourselves with BIG GUY on the block. I think this form of foreign policy to associate ourselves with other without any fruitful output for the country has always been pointless, especially with USA. As far as China is concerned, it has always been very cooperative in providing support knowing that what affects us will affect them as well geographically, therefore our relation with China are balanced from day one. But for USA, it has been a different scenario because we are far away geographically from them, and they have a tendency to ask more from others than they can return as a reward.

They say that we learn from our mistakes, but that has been an understatement when it comes to Pakistan's Foreign Policy. We should have learned from SEATO experience that associating ourselves with USA was meaningless when it did nothing but to stand aside in 1965 dispute. Rather time and again we have went out of the way to help them out when they needed us, without setting the perimeter to which we can stretch ourselves.

I think that's where the problem starts, is not to set a clear perimeter from which u will not exceed in International Relations.

Let's analyze the situation in Afghanistan, it made all the sense in the world for one muslim country to help their neighbor brothers, but it was this emotionalism that is costing us to the present day. I wonder Iran being more religious than us, why didn't they come for the help. I think we have gotten ourselves in DALDAL of bad policies when we told our people to help muslim brothers out in Afghanistan, but we were actually helping our GORA MASTER, without setting any perimeters which defines our role in the whole situation.

Therefore, when the soviet collapsed we were left cold n'dry by our GORA MASTER, with nothing fruitful in return. After 9/11, which was the biproduct of bad US policies everywhere and bad Afghan policy, we became a victim again because we helped them to create that chaos before without thinking of consequences.

So u r right that it was the need of the time, but the foreign policies are not designed to fit the need of the time. They should be designed having a long term vision that is fruitful for our nation and people. As unfortunate as it is that we are entangled in the current situation, but our government is in a dire need to set some perimeters when dealing with superpowers, and it should all be based on GIVE n' TAKE situation, and not just GIVE GIVE and be left in a cold n' dry situation.

Unfortunately, I don't see it happening.

I think Foreign Policy requires consistency, and not the U-turns that we tend to make with each new face that comes into power.

Thanks.