Bombing borders will boomerang

Of all the wars and conflicts that the US has fought since 1945, nowhere have they needed allies more than in Afghanistan. In Korea, Vietnam and Iraq, the US had the military power to act alone. It welcomed allies but did not need them. Afghanistan cannot be won without allies, especially but not limited to Pakistan.

Just a few months ago, Barak Obama was rightly criticised for suggesting that under certain circumstances, he would consider bombing Pakistan's areas that border Afghanistan. He was accused of wanting to talk to America's enemies, yet bomb her friends. Strange it may sound, now the Obama strategy has become commonplace in Washington's corridors of power. The Bush administration has had difficulty in hiding its frustration at what it sees as Pakistan's reluctance to pursue the Taliban. But Pakistan realises that bombs and the human misery they bring will strengthen the Taliban's appeal. Not entirely unrelated is the fact that Kabul and New Delhi are pointing the finger at Pakistan over the Indian embassy blast. Pakistan does not dispute that there are problems along its border but high-altitude bombing or helicopter gunships will not provide an answer. If they did, Afghanistan would not be in the mess it is in today.