Claudette Konola
 
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