EPCC NEWS

Commentary

February 8, 2008

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions are those of the writer and not of the EPCC as a group the community in LA)

POPPING THE CHERRY OF THE NEW REGIME

By Jerry Esguerra

In a couple of days, Richard Holbrooke - Hilary Clinton's pick to push the US imperialist agenda in Afghanistan - is about to get his feet wet by visiting neighboring Pakistan. Holbrooke, a former US envoy to the UN and considered an expert on the region's geopolitics will face an ally who's growing weary and suspicious of the US real intentions.

The Pakistanis who were hopeful that the new Washington regime could somewhat relieve the toxicity of the Bush campaign were greatly dismayed when three days after the much ballyhooed Obama inauguration, a drone guided bombing killed 21 of their own citizens.

It was an awakening in the Pakistani side that the situation will not only be business as usual under the Obama regime but will be an escalation of the war within their turf.

With the growing public indignation against the continued US air strikes in their tribal communities, President Asif Ali Zardari, whose popularity is diminishing among his own people - is finding himself more and more reliant on goodies that Holbrooke will bring: drastic increase in aid to the country's educational, health, military and judicial system - for salvation.

This should be a hard sell for the American public faced with a financial crisis that continues to wreck havoc to their own social infrastructures.

There is also growing sentiment among the Pakistani people that the US continued bankrolling of their corrupt government is being paid for in blood by the increasing civilian casualties from Imperialist intrusions.

Of course President Obama's refocus of US war efforts from Iraq to Afghanistan is soliciting serious doubt within the Pakistani military establishment itself.

Some strategic planners, read Obama's plan to send more troops to its neighbor as a direct threat to the military balance of power in the region, especially to its nuclear arsenal. The developing consensus is, according to a high ranking Pakistani military officer, that additional American forces in Afghanistan would spill over into Pakistan. "Afghanistan is not important," said the officer. "The American troops are designed to create a mess in the tribal areas and in Pakistan, and then take over our nuclear defense system." (NYT, February 7, 2009)

Another serious sticking point in the bilateral relationship that could slow down to a trickle Pakistani military's cooperation with the Obama camp stems from the decision by the Bush administration to complete a nuclear deal with India, Pakistan's archenemy. The deal paved the way for non-govermental nuclear trade between India and the United States, although India was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non proliferation Treaty. This special relationship was seen as a serious snub to Pakistan, said Maleeha Lodhi, a two time ambassador to the United States. According to her, the India-U.S. deal, gave the impression, that while Washington saw its ties with Pakistan in tactical terms, the strategic relationship was forged with India.

The US attack that killed as many as 21 civilians in the tribal areas of North and South Waziristan, which brought fury and rattled the hornet's nest of new wave of anti-americanism in the region - was a maiden voyage for the Obama camp and a prelude to the oncoming "new era" of imperialist aggression.

The international community should brace itself and regain its composure in the anti-war arena.

It should continue to call for the end of imperialist aggressions all over the world. Let us break the Obama myth.

Fidel Castro, in his recent reflection was right on target when he said:

"Thus, sooner rather than later, Obama’s politics are losing their

virginity."

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