US/Pakistan - a reply to Alex Evans
Last week Global Dashboard's Alex Evans asked me in a comment on this blog what I thought of Australian analyst David Kilcullen's argument on US use of drone attacks in Pakistan - see this post:
I don't recognise the statistics but the overall point is important. From our point of view this is first and foremost an issue that calls for US-Pakistan cooperation. The threat to US and Pakistani (and UK) interests is real, the danger and damage of civilian casualties serious, and the range of options limited.
US technology is vitally important, but Pakistan is fighting its own struggle against violent extremism. The drone attacks have undoubtedly hurt the core of AQ, but I see the dangers. The first best solution is obviously to build up Pakistan's capacity, but first best solutions are not always immediately available.
Posted at 17:52 02 June 2009 by David Miliband | Comments[0]
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