In "Held by the Taliban", the NY Times video we were assigned this week, David Rohde, the reporter kidnapped by Taliban leaders, says that during his captivity, he "realized that the hard-line Islamic state that the U.S. had toppled in 2001 exists. It simply shifted a few miles east, over the border into Pakistan."
The government of Pakistan is at war with the Taliban. However, the extremists maintain control of many regions and some cities, mostly in the tribal areas. The government is trying to fight the uprising, but from what I can tell, the situation is rather similar to that in Afghanistan. Though there may not necessarily be as complex of a "shadow government" as there is in Afghanistan, the Taliban still consolidate and maintain their power and pose an enormous threat to the government and the people. Some of the places in Pakistan are used as bases to prepare for attacks in Afghanistan, as well.
Al-Qaeda also maintains sanctuaries in the country.
I think your post is a good example of the mistake we make in battling or vilifying particular groups of Islamic radicals. If we focus our attention on the Taliban, or Al-Qaeda, we may indeed reduce numbers in those groups -but are we addressing the source of violence on behalf of religious extremism? We can't get stuck in a tunnel, looking only at eliminating the Taliban. We must address the source of like groups' devoted membership.
ReplyDeleteYou said that the government of Pakistan is working on fighting/uprooting the Taliban. But the suggestion that I've always heard is that they seem to be putting on a show when really they aren't doing anything to deter the Taliban but, in fact, helping them. Is that true or is that a skewed American viewpoint or is it too hard to tell?
ReplyDeleteJake, this is a great post! I did have a couple of questions though, maybe you or someone else can help me.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think that the Taliban moved into Pakistan more? It seems to me that Afghanistan is possibly even more unstable. Also, why is the Taliban being able to stay in Pakistan if the government has truly waged a war against them? Are the people supportive? Is the government corruption the problem ? etc.