What Ignatius J. Reilly Tells Us about Pakistan Posted by Patrick Barry

If Ignatius J. Reilly, corpulent sloth-King of Confederacy of Dunces, was tweeting to the Af-Pak Channel right now, he’d probably say that fortune’s wheel is spinning up right now when it comes to Pakistan. (Although, come to think of it, Ignatius probably wouldn't think much of Twitter)

First, there was last week’s capture of Mullah Baradar. Then, yesterday, Newsweek blew the lid off another arrest: Pakistan had captured two Taliban shadow governors, Mullah Abdul Salam and Mullah Mohammed (revised from just Abdul Salam), possibly with the assistance of the CIA.  Now, Dawn, GEO and AP are reporting the arrests of as many as 9 more individuals with links to either the Taliban or Al Qaeda (The AP article makes it sound as if they’re including the two governors, so I can’t be sure.)  

What gives? Why has Pakistan suddenly gotten so good at arresting Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders and associates? Perhaps it’s one of the possibilities I discussed? Perhaps it’s as Spencer speculated yesterday, that the U.S. is using intel plucked from an Al Qaeda operative traveling between Pakistan and Yemen to its advantage?  Or maybe Josh Foust’s whiff of optimism if correct. Maybe this really is a “sea change” moment in the U.S. – Pakistan relationship?  

Even if Pakistan’s and America’s interests are inching toward greater alignment - an observation I made yesterday and Tuesday- it's important to not get carried away. Pakistan's history of support for militants, and its pattern of double dealing the U.S. extends way past the more positive development of the last week. It remains the case our motivations and their motivations, synced as they may be for the moment, are not the same.  Fortune’s wheel won’t spin up forever.

Comments

[Texas breast reduction]

I would like to say the more I think about it, the more I think that the U.S has been played by the ISI once again (surprise!). It looks like Barader was the main conduit for reconciliation negotiations, and the likelihood is that they rolled him up not to disrupt TB ops, but to prevent him from negotiating with ISAF and GIRoA.It explains neatly why they chose now to roll him up. Keeping him in their hands ensures that he cannot negotiate directly with ISAF/GIRoA, cutting PAK out of the picture. Serves to remind all of the player who really is the kingmaker here.

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Hi,
As far as I know Ignatius J. Reilly hasn't got anything on Kamil Ruaba. Ignatius, the rotund momma's boy of John Kennedy Toole's 1980 cult classic "A Confederacy of Dunces," was one of literature's world-class slackers, a know-it-all slob whose distaste for an honest day's work was surpassed only by his enthusiasm for copious amounts of food and masturbation...

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the likelihood is that they rolled him up not to disrupt TB ops, but to prevent him from negotiating with ISAF and GIRoA.It explains neatly why they chose now to roll him up. Keeping him in their hands ensures that he cannot negotiate directly with ISAF/GIRoA, cutting PAK out of the picture. Serves to remind all of the player who really is the kingmaker here.
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