President Obama's New Terror Strategy: Don't Pay Our Bills To Allies

Okay, we could go on and on about the evils of Pakistan and how they have played the war on terror from both sides but in the end, the Pakistanis, at the moment, are still pounding the shit out of the Taliban in the NW provinces of Pakistan AND although the Pakistani government has subtley objected to NATO and U.S. predator attacks inside of Pakistan, they have allowed these attacks mostly on al Qaeda high value targets. So, with that said, the new regime of Barack Obama has decided to stiff the Pakistanis on a war on terror payment - how's that for a classy show of hands for a guy in power one week? Now, you might say this was in the works ahead of Obama but let's face it, this "short payment" is taking place with one man as President and it ain't George W. Bush. Here's some of the details from the article at Khaleej Times Online:

Tje United States has deducted 55 million dollars out of the 156 million dolalrs bill sent by Pakistan for rendering its military services to fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda in volatile bordering tribal areas adjacent to war-torn Afghanistan.
Shaukat Tarin, a financial advisor in the prime minister’s office, said the US had “changed the format” for money released under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for Islamabad, resulting in a “massive” deduction.
Pakistan, a key US ally in the fight terrorism, has mobilized its more than 100,000 troops in tribal areas to contain Islamic militants launching cross-border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan, and bills US for the expenditure.
The cut in its reimbursements is a setback to the civilian government led by President Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto.
Tarin said Islamabad had taken the matter of the deducted money with Washington.

Now, look at this from the same article:

The new US government, led by President Barack Obama, has vowed to focus more on Pakistan in its policy to defeat Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. In its efforts, the new administration would link Pakistan’s aid with the security in the border region in Afghanistan, the White House said in a policy statement last week.

Now, I've read that little section over about 4 times and I don't understand it - it says that Obama has vowed to focus more on Pakistan's terror efforts but will link aid to Pakistan to the "security" in the border region. Does this mean that if the area isn't secure, we won't send ANY aid to Pakistan? How can the U.S. call out the Pakistanis when U.S. and NATO forces have the same scenario going on inside of Afghanistan.

Again, don't get me wrong here - Pakistan IS a huge part of the terror problem for us but we are a long way from having a Pakistan that is actually fully engaged in fighting the West - there is still enough of a faction in Pakistan that will continue to fight the Taliban and to me, it's insane to hang that faction out to dry. Besides, last time I checked, about 90% of the supplies for our U.S. troops in Afghanistan come through Pakistan...do we really want to short our boys on ammo in Afghanistan by stiffing the Pakistanis on payments?

As an aside, let me ask one other question: Barack Obama is 100% for spending BILLIONS of money on education in America...he's all in favor of pouring tax dollars into failing schools and insists that there will NOT be any accountability by teachers or administrators yet when it comes to national defense and the war on terror, President Obama has a bunch of benchmarks that our allies need to meet?

US cuts payment to Pakistan for fighting Taliban, al-Qaeda

ISLAMABAD - Tje United States has deducted 55 million dollars out of the 156 million dolalrs bill sent by Pakistan for rendering its military services to fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda in volatile bordering tribal areas adjacent to war-torn Afghanistan.
Shaukat Tarin, a financial advisor in the prime minister’s office, said the US had “changed the format” for money released under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for Islamabad, resulting in a “massive” deduction.
Pakistan, a key US ally in the fight terrorism, has mobilized its more than 100,000 troops in tribal areas to contain Islamic militants launching cross-border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan, and bills US for the expenditure.

Pakistan joined the US-led internation al alliance against terrorism after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, with Islamabad getting some 297 million dollars every year since 2003, in the form of Foreign Military Grants to quell the Taliban militancy.
But the authorities in Washington have said repeatedly that Islamabad was not doing enough to control Islamic insurgency in its ungoverned tribal region.
The new US government, led by President Barack Obama, has vowed to focus more on Pakistan in its policy to defeat Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. In its efforts, the new administration would link Pakistan’s aid with the security in the border region in Afghanistan, the White House said in a policy statement last week.
Pakistan, which has recently avoided default by obtaining a 7.6 billion dollar loan package from the IMF, is relying heavily on US to revive its economy.
The US has so far provided between 10 and 11 billion dollars of aid for social development as well as in form of military aid. But Pakistan says it has suffered financial losses many times more than it has collectively received aid fnd its western allies after becoming front line state in the ongoing war against terrorism.