Citizen Journalism by Josh Mull

From Intellibriefs via Indo-Asian News Service (subscription):

India appears to have failed in persuading principal military ally Russia to stop China from supplying RD-93 aircraft engines to Pakistan for their Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder programme, a report in Jane’s Defence Weekly says…

Earlier this year, China handed over two JF-17 fighters to Pakistan with the RD-93 engines under the equal partnership agreement between the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. Pakistan plans an initial production schedule of 16 JF-17s.

Russia had contracted to supply China 100 RD-93 engines with an option of providing 400 more that, it now appears, are definitely being transferred to Pakistan as part of Moscow’s overall pressure tactics to keep India within its armaments fold.

What does this have to do with Biden’s Pakistan policy? Watch this video from JoeBiden.com and, at about 2 minutes in, Biden explains his views on US military aid to Pakistan vis a vis India

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRfAjxivRgM]

In other words, China and Russia have seen to it that even if Biden is successful in cutting off strategic aid to Pakistan, it will not have the desired effect of damaging Musharraf’s credibility in the Pakistani military. If the US cuts off strategic aid to Pakistan, the military will still be well supplied with Strategic fighter, bomber, and support aircraft.

The current political situation in Pakistan has revealed that the Pakistani military is actually quite satisfied with Musharraf. If not, they would never have allowed their assets to be used in Musharraf’s coup/crackdown against the media, parliament, and judiciary. With the exception of an increasingly aggressive Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf has relatively few worries about revolution. Even the pro-Taliban elements in the tribal regions have been relatively appeased. As the Pakistani Army has diverted its resources to the crackdown, the Taliban has conquered a lot of new territory.

I personally respect Senator Biden for being the only candidate to take a realistic, nuanced perspective on Pakistan, as opposed to the seemingly hardline wait-and-see attitude of the other Democratic candidates or the Regime-centric policies favored by the current US Administration. This move by China and Russia leaves Biden a little more cornered on Pakistan policy. Does he ignore it, hope the story doesn’t make it into the mainstream press, and continue with his current policy? Does he propose other aid be cut off from Pakistan, aid not used strategically to counter India? Or, and this is the most difficult option, does he decide to take a much harder, and more public, stance against China, Russia, and their enabling of dictators?

For more on Gen. Musharraf: Official website – Wikipedia
For more on Pakistan’s Emergency Rule: BBC – Wikipedia – The Real News
For more on the Pakistan-India Security Strategy: Council on Foreign Relations – Foreign Policy In Focus – Danger Room

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