Five men who helped the CIA keep an eye on Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad have been arrested by Pakistani Intelligence. We give Pakistan $2 billion annually in support of our war on terror. Our highest priority in this war was Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in Afghanistan. And now our partner has arrested the people who helped us get our target?

Actually it all should come as no surprise. Pakistan is a government struggling to be unified, with military and intelligence going in one direction, and the elected officials going off in another. Pakistan loves getting military aid from the US—not so much because they harbor the same hatred of our enemies, but because they can use our military aid in their ongoing conflict with India.

Pakistan knows they have the US by the short hairs. We need to transport military supplies through Pakistan for our war in Afghanistan, where we have another questionable friend. Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s President since being appointed in 2001 has come under scrutiny for election fraud in order to hold his position. Billions of dollars in aid have poured into Afghanistan during his administration and billions have disappeared, thanks to corruption at every level in his government.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Homework:

British Newspaper Reports Arrest of Men Helping CIA

CIA Factbook: Pakistan

CIA Factbook: India

CIA Factbook: Afghanistan

BBC Profile on Karzai

2002 Left Leaning Blog Worried about Karzai's Relationship with Unocal

We just witnessed our first revolution where it was people power, not a bloody civil war that toppled a government. Despots everywhere have got to be taking note of how a determined people can stop a nation in its tracks without resorting to violence. I wonder what the NRA has to say about this?

Of course, what finally caused Mubarak to throw in the towel was a military that turned against him. I heard various reports yesterday that senior military officials were supporting Mubarak until it became apparent that junior officers were with the people, and there was danger of a military split. Given that the U.S. gives the Egyptian military $1.3-billion annually, there is good reason to believe that the Egyptian military leaders were talking to their U.S. counterparts. That $1.3 billion is ear marked for purchasing goods and services from the U.S. military/industrial complex. No doubt the senior military leaders didn’t want to lose access to all those toys.

Yesterday was a day of joy. Today is a bit more sober; as we remember that Egypt is an important strategic partner, and how it will be governed going forward is a big question mark. The old government is gone, but nobody knows what the new government will look like, or what pains it will go through in its birth. Western economies depend on goods, especially oil that passes through the Suez Canal and Egyptian pipelines. The US also depends on the Suez Canal for the transport of military supplies for the war in Afghanistan.

More oil rich governments may well fall also. Jubilant crowds yesterday celebrated in capitals all across the Middle East. Their leaders were eerily silent. Demonstrations were permitted all over the Arab world, with no response from government officials. Rumor has it that those officials, all across the Middle East, have been meeting with their cabinets, trying to devise strategies that keep mobs away from their palaces and keep them in their lucrative government jobs.

Power to the People, but be careful what you wish for!

Homework

Analysis of Events in Egypt With Links to Other Sources

NRA Head Says Events in Egypt Prove the Importance of 2nd Amendment

Ripple Effect With Other Arab Leaders

Energy Prices Went Down

Afghanistan War, What's It Good For?

2004 Report on the Economic Impact of US Military Moving Goods Thru Suez Canal