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Thursday, April 19, 2018

Decisions

If Pakistan continues down the road of becoming a Chinese client state, America really needs a secure supply line to Afghanistan through a friendly Iran.

Pakistan has long been the Black Sheep of America's allies, given Pakistan's role in supporting and fighting jihadis in Afghanistan. Pakistan is tilting to being pure problem by tilting more and more to China.

When Pakistan fully accepts being a client state of China, Pakistan may not feel any need to back jihadis in Afghanistan and support America's efforts to fight jihadis in Afghanistan. Pakistan would just drop the latter policies.

Which means we'd need, as I've long wanted, a friendly supply line through Iran. The supply line at least exists. Just not for America.

The supply issue would be just one of the many problems that would become lesser problems if Iran stopped being a mullah-run nutball nation.

Of course, if Pakistan chooses to be a Chinese client, the gloves can come off in the Pakistani tribal territories.

Would India react by drawing closer to mullah-run Iran to maintain access to Afghanistan or would India decide a non-nutball Iran would better serve Indian efforts to block China and undermine Pakistan's threat to India?

What will Pakistan decide? And what will America and India decide about Pakistan and Iran?

And a bonus decision: Will anybody be punished for opening Congress to Pakistani intelligence?

And do you really think Pakistan decided not to share that information with China?