Out of the Box Thinking for Pakistan
One presidential candidate's recent remarks regarding a possible unilateral preemptive strike into Pakistan sent a cold shiver down the spines of many national security professionals and officers in the armed forces. It was particularly surprising coming from someone who was an early and often critic of what he saw as the Bush administration’s unilateral, preemptive attack on Iraq. The candidate’s aides have back tracked saying that he would seek President Musharif’s concurrence, but almost everyone who knows the region knows that Musharef would be committing political suicide to allow such an overt action. The potential unintended consequences of a unilateral U.S. strike are sobering; the possibility of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of a radical Islamic Pakistani successor government is foremost among the defense community’s nightmare scenarios. It would make al Qaeda look like the “Wiggles”, and for all we know, al Qaeda might be shadow partners in the new governing mix.
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