Another claim of negligence

[Brad DeLong]

>Michael McIntyre wrote:
>
>>  Pakistan is not _simply_ a client state of the U.S.  Were the U.S. willing
>>to really flex its muscles, no doubt it could coerce Pakistan into
>>dismantling the al-Qaeda camps in northern Pakistan and "Azad Kashmir".
>>But no such demand has been made.  Why not?  Partly because it would
>>probably require a credible threat of war to get Pakistan to comply.
>
>Powell apparently gave an ultimatum to Musharaff immediately after 9/11 and
>brought about a U turn in Pakistan's policy of supporting Taliban. He could
>do it again, if he wanted to.

Ultimata work *only* if you are angry and insane enough to actually 
start frying the asses of large numbers of people if they are 
rejected. In the aftermath of 911, Musharraf knew damn well that the 
answer in Washington to "Pakistan is still supporting the Taliban" 
was "Bombs away!"

Today, I don't believe that the answer in Washington to "Pakistan is 
supporting separatist guerillas in Kashmir" is "Bombs away!" and I'm 
sure that Musharraf doesn't believe that either.

So I don't think that an ultimatum would work. In which case, if 
Powell issues one, then George W. Bush will likely be faced with a 
choice between saying "I was bluffing" and "Bombs away!"

This is not a good game to start playing...

Brad DeLong