Work Even the Most Frustrating Problem

Pakistan annoys the heck out of me. They are in bed with terrorists and seem to be more angry with imaginary American and Indian plots than the actual body count of jihadis who kill Pakistanis. My posts on Pakistan reflect the frustration as well as my belief that Pakistan as an imperfect ally is better than Pakistan as a perfectly annoying enemy. My caffeine-alcohol-donut balance may influence my choice of blog post any given day, I suppose.

Strategypage reminds us that however frustrating "Pakistan" is, my frustration must remember that "Pakistan" doesn't frustrate me--nutballs in Pakistan frustrate me. And if we are to make sure that a nuclear-armed Pakistan doesn't become completely under the control of the nutballs, we must stay engaged in Pakistan despite the ample frustrations that dealing with Pakistan inflicts:

The pro-terrorist Pakistani politicians and generals are increasingly on the defensive. For example, a recent attempt to persuade parliament to adopt more anti-American policies fell apart as a larger number of members insisted on dealing with political and economic problems inside Pakistan. The military has been using Islamic radicals for over 20 years to maintain a state of fear within Pakistan and hostility with India, all to justify the control the military has over the government and economy. ... Now the politicians and supreme court judges are trying to strip the military of the many extralegal powers the generals have created for themselves over the decades, and hold the military responsible for many of its past crimes. The generals respond by trying to portray themselves as victims, battered and bloodied by American and Indian plots and conspiracies. But fewer and fewer Pakistanis are buying this and the generals are getting desperate.

Pakistan can be less frustrating if we can help the Pakistanis who want to confront real problems and prevent the generals from hijacking the economy for their own benefit. Those pro-jihadi and pro-corruption nutballs would love it if we got frustrated and walked away from Pakistan. That would leave those who want some reform unprotected and they'd lose the fight for some sanity.

Now, don't think that these reformers are completely rational from our point of view and are pro-American models of rule of law waiting in the wings. But when we are talking about a nuclear armed Moslem state in a dangerous part of the world, having people less dangerously deluded in charge is no small matter.

Work the problem. And that's advice to myself when the frustrations build, too, I'll admit.