Strategic Panorama 2009 - 2010 - IEEE

José María Robles Fraga
ce. Following the fall of Musharraf and the advent of a civilian government
amid a serious political and economic crisis, appalling terrorist attacks in
the country’s main cities and a military offensive in the tribal areas and
northern territories, bilateral collaboration has been further intensified with
President Obama. In 2008 1.29 billion dollars were earmarked to military
and civilian assistance to Pakistan and non-military aid is to be increased
substantially as much as threefold and could amount to 1.5 million dollars
annually over the next five years in accordance with the Kerry-Lugar initiative.
Although there continue to be major divergences between the strategic
visions of America and Pakistan, a sizeable improvement would appear to
be taking place in collaboration against terrorism in intelligence. Examples
of the foregoing are army action against the Pakistani Taliban in the tribal
areas at the border and the intensification of strikes by unmanned aerial
vehicles acting on information supplied by Pakistan’s own intelligence
services. For the time being the army is attacking the Pakistani Taliban of
Swat and South Waziristan which are openly rebelling against the state.
It remains to be seen if this operation will continue against the Haqqani
network in North Waziristan and the Quetta Sura of Mullah Omar, allies of
al-Qaeda and two of the most dangerous Afghan insurgent groups.
The action of the Pakistani army and paramilitary forces in south
Waziristan stems mainly, as could not be otherwise, from its own interests
and is carried out in response to the major threat posed to the state of
Pakistan by the local version of the Afghan Taliban and their allies in the
Jihadist conglomerate. But this action is driven by US pressure and has no
hope or possibility of being maintained and broadened without the military
assistance of the US and coordination with ISAF.
It is therefore indispensable to increase the level and intensify of relations
with Pakistan as far as possible and to overcome the indifference
and disinterest of the past or the idea that all that can be discussed with
Pakistan is police matters or counterterrorism. The European Union seems
to have begun to do so, even at times of handover and major institutional
changes, and 2009 has been a crucial year with respect to the emergence
of an EU strategy for the whole region, and particularly towards Pakistan.
The seventeenth of June saw the holding of the first EU-Pakistan ad
hoc summit which sought to provide political backing to Pakistan and
its democratic institutions. It was the political and security crisis which
ultimately moved the European leaders to take this step and accordingly
recognise Pakistan’s strategic importance. The summit also served to
underline the importance of the fight against terrorism and of other bilate-
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