Perry: Stronger U.S.-Indian Alliance Needed to Act on Pakistani Nukes

[Bl[i]tZ]

Texas Governor Rick Perry (Republican Presidential Candidate) charged on Thursday that President Obama has failed to build a U.S.-Indian alliance strong enough to mount an adequate response should Pakistani nuclear weapons fall into the hands of regional extremists

Perry said the United States should forge stronger ties with India in advance of any potential crisis in Pakistan in which Islamist extremists gain control of nuclear weapons.

Islamabad maintains that its atomic assets are secure and has played down international fears that militants might steal a warhead or weapon-grade material from its nuclear stockpile. The United States, though, has reportedly discussed and possibly drilled on a contingency plan to forcibly secure Pakistan's nuclear stockpile during a crisis.

Asked during a Republican presidential debate to describe his "first move" in the event that he learns as commander in chief that Pakistani nuclear weapons had been seized by Taliban militants, the leading GOP contender stressed the importance of establishing strong regional alliances prior to any such development.

"Before you ever get to that point, you have to build a relationship in that region. And that's one of the things that this administration has not done," Perry said at the evening debate in Orlando, Fla.
The United States has funneled billions of dollars in assistance to Pakistan, aimed in part at shoring up the security of the nation's sensitive nuclear sites. Perry hinted at Islamabad's unreliability as an ally, though, referring to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen's assertion this week that the Haqqani terrorist network is essentially an extension of the nation's intelligence service.

He emphasized the necessity of "a relationship with India, to make sure that India knows that they are an ally of the United States."

"For instance, when we had the opportunity to sell India the upgraded [F-16 fighter jets], we chose not to do that," Perry said. "We did the same thing with Taiwan. The point is our allies need to understand clearly that we are their friends; we will be standing by there with them. Today we don't have those allies in that region that can assist us if that situation that you talked about were to become a reality."

A report issued days ago by two prominent think tanks urges Washington and New Delhi to clandestinely plan joint responses to a potential set of crises in Pakistan, including threats to the Pakistani military's control of the nation's atomic arsenal (see GSN, Sept. 19).
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum broke with Perry on the question, instead highlighting a need to forge "relationships in Pakistan" with an array of potential power brokers, including one-time Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who resigned in 2008.

If the Islamabad government appeared in danger of collapsing, such bonds could enable the United States to "work in concert to make sure [a Pakistani] coup could be overturned and make sure ... those nuclear weapons do not fall into those hands," Santorum said.

"But working with allies at that point is the last thing we want to do. We want to work in [Pakistan] to make sure that the problem is diffused," he said.

Pakistan has the "world's fastest-growing nuclear stockpile" and could have as many as 200 warheads within the next 10 years, according to a July analysis published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (see GSN, July 1). Islamabad today is estimated to have 90 to 110 atomic arms.

"People need to understand how real" the Pakistani nuclear threat is, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said later in the discussion. "This world is in danger of becoming dramatically more dangerous in the not-too-distant future. People talk about an Iranian weapon. There may be well over 100 nuclear weapons in Pakistan, and the example you used is not too far-fetched to worry about."

Earlier, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney -- likely Perry's most formidable contender for the GOP nomination -- said Iran "perhaps represents the greatest existential threat to Israel" (see related GSN story, today).

"We have to make it abundantly clear it is unacceptable -- and I take those -- that word carefully -- it is unacceptable for Iran to become a nuclear nation," Romney said.

NTI: Global Security Newswire - Perry: Stronger U.S.-Indian Alliance Needed to Act on Pakistani Nukes
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Pakistan is rapidly losing friends in Washington. If President Obama loses they are going to have to deal with more hostile Republicans.

 

[MrIndianSikh]

all the hype about Pakistani nukes getting in islamist extremist hands.... to start off even if there is a infiltration inside a Pakistani nuclear weapons facility the Taliban and other Islamist militants most of them are illiterate (may be able to read and write in Arabic) but other than that there IQ is probably my underwear size its not as simple as pulling up a computer typing in coordinates and pushing a big red button there are codes and other sophisticated information that only the top brass of the army like Kayani and people in there nuclear command authority know about

to sum it up the only way Islamist extremists will get to use a nuclear weapon is if someone on the inside goes rogue

 

[Bl[i]tZ]

all the hype about Pakistani nukes getting in islamist extremist hands.... to start off even if there is a infiltration inside a Pakistani nuclear weapons facility the Taliban and other Islamist militants most of them are illiterate (may be able to read and write in Arabic) but other than that there IQ is probably my underwear size its not as simple as pulling up a computer typing in coordinates and pushing a big red button there are codes and other sophisticated information that only the top brass of the army like Kayani and people in there nuclear command authority know about

to sum it up the only way Islamist extremists will get to use a nuclear weapon is if someone on the inside goes rogue

That's the fear. Evidently, the doctrine of Strategic Depth works. The jehadis in Afghanistan have finally attained "strategic depth" in Pakistan.

 

[Solomon2]

Amazing. Before he was elected Obama was already the most anti-GoP candidate - John McCain insisted on working with the GoP to defeat terror, not against it - but even he never in my recall went so far as to suggest an "alliance" with India.

My opinion is that the Perry campaign will fizzle out eventually. And I don't think this idea has much support: it doesn't reflect pro-India sentiment in this country, only anti-Pakistani feelings that have built up over the years. So any movement towards a U.S.-India alliance cannot succeed without Pakistani support - that is, the sustained and continued perception that Pakistan is moving to obstruct U.S. interests in its efforts at empire-building in S. Asia and beyond.

Maybe it will happen. Ultimately the Pakistani Army rules Pakistan, but how can it sustain its preeminence in the absence of war unless it keeps creating enemies?

 

[Bl[i]tZ]

Amazing. Before he was elected Obama was already the most anti-GoP candidate - John McCain insisted on working with the GoP to defeat terror, not against it - but even he never in my recall went so far as to suggest an "alliance" with India.

My opinion is that the Perry campaign will fizzle out eventually. And I don't think this idea has much support: it doesn't reflect pro-India sentiment in this country, only anti-Pakistani feelings that have built up over the years. So any movement towards a U.S.-India alliance cannot succeed without Pakistani support - that is, the sustained and continued perception that Pakistan is moving to obstruct U.S. interests in its efforts at empire-building in S. Asia and beyond.

Maybe it will happen. Ultimately the Pakistani Army rules Pakistan, but how can it sustain its preeminence in the absence of war unless it keeps creating enemies?

Yup, Perry's presidential campaign was dealt a blow Saturday when he finished in a second place to Cain in the closely watched straw poll in Florida.

India and US will never be allies because India will always maintain strategic autonomy. On the other hand, we are good partners and will keep improving our partnership.

There will be a lot of issues on which we'll agree and then there will be some issues on which we'll disagree - Iran, Palestine etc.