Obama's Af-Pak Quandary (INDIA)

Breaking away from President George W Bush's goal of democratisation of the Islamic world, President Barack Obama has placed
defeating the al-Qaida terrorist network at the centre of the US's policy goal in Afghanistan and Pakistan. While popular and logical from the American perspective, this approach fails to take into account the interest of the US's indispensable ally Pakistan, which is concerned with not just al-Qaida, but also with what it sees as growing Indian influence in Afghanistan and the threat of subversion.

Recent interviews with senior Pakistani military officials make it clear that Pakistani cooperation will depend on the Obama administration's readiness to contain India's anti-Pakistan efforts in Afghanistan. While US troop strength in Afghanistan has increased, US officials have repeatedly said that al-Qaida leadership is now located in Pakistan. How deep America will go, and how it will choose between employing drone attacks or deploying troops in the pursuit of al-Qaida will depend on Pakistani cooperation.

FULL ARTICLE