The tragedy now unfolding in Pakistan is occurring due to the pursuit of incredibly shortsighted policies by the United States as well as the Pakistani government and military. The US has pressured Pakistan into engaging in brutal military operations, without regard to its own vital interests in the region: This neglect of even the most basic goals which the United States is attempting to achieve in the region, will almost certainly encourage the Islamic takeover of not only Iraq, but also other strategic governments in that area. The current military operation in Swat (like the earlier one in Bajaur, consists mainly of subjecting the areas to heavy bombardment from the air and ground, behind which ground troops advance, shooting at anyone they encounter, including civilians trying to flee or seek food and water, while the hardened Taliban militants have mostly moved away from these affected areas. The Americans used to call these behaviours, when engaged in by German troops a war crime, but now, these same actions are merely designed to bring "peace" to the world: They made a desert, and called it PEACE!
