Bush approves raids in Pakistan

President Bush signed a secret order in July allowing Special Forces to carry out raids inside Pakistan without the approval of the Pakistani government, The New York Times reported last week. The move marks a sharp policy reversal for the U.S., which for nearly seven years has tried to work with Pakistan to combat the Taliban and al Qaida operating in Pakistan’s tribal areas near the Afghanistan border.

Pakistan’s military responded angrily to the U.S. offensive, ordering its soldiers to battle any U.S. personnel inside the country’s borders. “The orders are clear,” said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. “In case it happens again: Open fire.” Pakistani security officials said their forces shot at American helicopters near the Afghanistan border this week, but the Pakistani military denied the report, as did the U.S.

Bush’s rash strategy will make a bad situation worse, said Robert Dreyfuss in Thenation.com. The new aggressiveness “risks inflaming Pakistani public opinion against the United States, and boosting the religious parties.” Indeed, if the new pro-American Pakistani government seems powerless to stop the U.S. raids, it could swiftly be overthrown. The result will be to strengthen the very militants we’re supposed to be fighting.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

That’s a risk we’ll simply have to take, said The Washington Post in an editorial. “U.S. commanders say that victory in Afghanistan is impossible unless Taliban bases in Pakistan are reduced.” For years, the U.S. has been relying on Pakistan to combat militants within its borders. Clearly, it’s time to try another approach.

Meanwhile, don’t underestimate what this could mean for U.S. domestic politics, said Tim Rutten in the Los Angeles Times. We could even be in for an “October surprise.” If Bush’s new strategy results in Osama bin Laden being captured or killed, that could help Bush’s fellow Republican and hard-liner John McCain. Then again, it could boost Barack Obama, who argued for going into Pakistan months ago. “That’s the thing about surprises”—you never know what you’ll get.