Author: Bill Nichols
Publication: USA Today
Date: October 25, 2001
Some worry policy is too focused
on helping Musharraf
Washington - When the Bush administration
began to mount a military response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, senior
officials faced a central question: Would Pakistan help?
The answer, to the relief of President
Bush and his team, was yes. But as the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan continues,
a new worry is being voiced in Washington: Is concern for the stability
of Pakistan's military regime driving U.S. policy?
''We've been bending over backward
too far to make sure Pakistan's feelings don't get hurt,'' Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,
R-Calif., told Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday during Powell's
appearance on Capitol Hill.
There is wide agreement within the
administration that the assistance of Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government
is crucial to U.S. success in Afghanistan. Pakistani intelligence on Afghanistan's
Taliban regime is key, as is the ability of U.S. troops to use Pakistan
as a staging ground.
Policymakers also agree about the
fragility of Musharraf's government, which is faced with opposition to
the U.S. campaign among Islamic radicals sympathetic to the Taliban.
''Musharraf is riding a tiger. I
am very concerned about the stability of his regime,'' said Brent Scowcroft,
who was national security adviser to the first President Bush.
But recent public comments by senior
administration officials suggest an internal debate on how much U.S. policy
should bend to try to help prop up Musharraf.
U.S. officials deny any split on
either military or diplomatic strategy. But statements by Powell, in particular,
suggest a deeper concern within the State Department that Pakistan's political
needs remain a key basis for future military and diplomatic decisions.
''The State Department is very fearful
of the attitude in the street of Pakistan and the danger that a popular
uprising against Musharraf's government is quite serious,'' says Ted Galen
Carpenter, a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute.
In his Hill appearance, Powell said
Pakistan, which has deep ties to the Taliban, will not be allowed to unduly
influence the formation of a new Afghan government.
''The next government of Afghanistan
cannot be dictated into existence by Pakistan or any other neighbors,''
Powell said. ''It has to come into existence by the will of the Afghan
people.''
But other Powell comments that appear
to echo Pakistani concerns have been at odds with others in the administration.
One example: Musharraf has urged
the administration to end its military campaign quickly and to be respectful
of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in mid- November. In
recent appearances, Powell has said the administration will consider those
concerns.
During a news conference with British
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Wednesday, Powell said he would like to
see the operation accomplish its objectives ''in the next few days.'' The
administration is ''sensitive to Ramadan, but we can't let that be the
sole determinant'' for military operations, Powell said.
Pentagon officials, however, said
flatly that there are no time constraints on the campaign. Army Gen. Tommy
Franks, head of U.S. Central Command, said in Bahrain on Wednesday, ''The
operations we undertake go on 24 hours a day.''
Musharraf also has urged Washington
to consider including some elements of the Taliban in any post-war government.
In Islamabad last week, Powell suggested
that moderate members of the Taliban could serve in a new Afghan government.
Powell has since qualified his remarks, saying Taliban rank-and-file could
serve in a new government but no one in the current regime.
But his original statement raised
hackles with other U.S. allies, specifically India and Russia.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir
Putin ruled out participation by the Taliban. He said it had ''compromised
itself'' by cooperating with international terrorists.
