Comments on: Indian Government Names Mumbai Suspects

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:04:42 +0000

Aren't the Federated Autonomous Tribal Areas on the wrong side of the country? That is, they border Afghanistan, not India.

Yes, they border Afghanistan not India, but the also border Kashmir. The Pakistani military will need at least a logistics presence there to defend it's north and north-eastern territory.

By: DC Loser

DC Loser — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:54:56 +0000

Aren't the Federated Autonomous Tribal Areas on the wrong side of the country? That is, they border Afghanistan, not India. I would suggest to Michael that it's very hard to predict what may happen once the shooting starts and things get out of control. There's so much emotion and historical antagonism between the two countries that it's very easy to escalate to the nuclear option in very short time.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:35:56 +0000

In terms of our national security, preventing a shooting war between these two countries is probably the most important thing we could do.

Why? We've had plenty of border skirmishes before, even after they became nuclear powers. It may even help bolster public support for the Pakistani government, it would reduce support for the militants who are trying to weaken it.

By: charles johnson

charles johnson — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:27:22 +0000

In terms of our national security, preventing a shooting war between these two countries is probably the most important thing we could do.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:27:09 +0000

If India goes to war with Pakistan, the militants in the tribal region will be forced to cooperate and coordinate with the Pakistani military or else leave a large undefended border.

Once those operational ties are established, those militant groups will find it difficult to get back to their current level of anonymity and autonomy.