Restore order ??? That's a good one. The whole point of US policy is to create chaos, to Balkanize Pakistan.
The bigger question is what does India do. If the Taliban gets a hold of Pakistan's nukes, India is the likely target.
Put out the sequel to SlumDog Millionaire... SlumDog Billionaire... subtitled "Making Up Trouble Where There Is None"
At least somebody gets it. Pakistan has the 7th largest military IN THE WORLD. 35K rag-heads with light arms versus 650,000 SOLDIERS, moderate naval, air force AND NUCLEAR/BIO/CHEM WEAPONS?!?!?? You guys are high. If the Taliban make it to Islamabad, it means Pakistan STOOD DOWN. No other way. For shits and giggles: "The U.S.-based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) estimates that Pakistan has built 24â48 HEU-based nuclear warheads with HEU reserves for 30-52 additional warheads.[15][16] The US Navy Center for Contemporary Conflict estimates that Pakistan possesses between a low of 35 and a high of 95 nuclear warheads, with a median of 60.[17] But these are outdated sources. Latest reports show much larger capacity." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction
Taliban this, Taliban that .... blah blah blah. As usual all this is presented as juvenile Hollywood good guys Vs bad guys. A moment's thought should suggest that the "Taliban" and more importantly their supporters and sympathisers are unlikely to be a homogeneous mass. More likely it covers a spectrum ranging from religious fanatics to those who hate the US (how could that happen with regular Predator strikes) to nationalists who resent foreign domination to pragmatists who think the Taliban might provide better law and order than the current corrupt setup. This could hardly have escaped the attention of think tanks in Washington or the Pentagon. One thing they are not, is stupid. Surely there is some scope for political solution. Yet they choose a military one. Be under no delusions that the current offensive is not made in Washington. Now why is this, if there is not perceived to be a strategic advantage in destabilising portions of Pakistan. One does not need a brain the size of a planet to see where those perceived strategic advantages may lie.
Problem is Obama is an idiot. 4 punk thugs held Barry up for 3 days. What kind of decision making can you expect from him if shit hits the fan over there? We're so fucked.
Correct, if the Pakis ask for our help we are greenlighted to go in and take over that Paki-Afghani border region.. somebody might even cough up that big tall guy from Saudi Arabia...
Uh, yeah...that's what I mean. The Paki military is filled with sympathetic Pakis who probably would aid in the collapse.. Yesterday 140 militants were killed, but 20 Pakistani army were also killed. That's 1/7... not bad for a bunch of ragtags.
Bait and switch. This time, for something of the nuclear type. Larger army yes, sympathetic to the US? ... I doubt it.