The US army has very recently halted shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan because of the increased risk to truck drivers due to the greater protests of drone strikes by Pakistanis. The United States is doing more than their fair share of helping to rebuild that sector of the world; for me this raises a question, "Should we continue to help rebuild if middle eastern citizens aren't going to appreciate it?" The United States is there to hunt terrorists and sustain troubled governments, I feel that this all comes down to a matter of oil dependency. If the United States can find a substitute for our need for oil, then we can finally put this problem behind us.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It's very unfortunate that truck drivers have been unable to deliver supplies and provisions meant for Afghanistan. I hope that Islamabad does something about these "vigilantes" before people are killed. I think it's smart of the US to redirect supplies so that there is no chance of someone getting hurt due to the actions of the protestors. If I were the protestors, I would maybe rethink this strategy of blocking all trucks and instead focusing on only those carrying the drones, AKA what they are really protesting.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a responsible move for the US to redirect shipping routes in order to keep the truckdrivers safe. Hopefully it will kind of disperse some of the protests going on on the roads. Also, I hope that the protests don't result in anything serious or violent. It definietly seems like the uproar caused by the US drone strikes is being directed at the wrong people. I don't see how harassing truckdrivers isngoing tk solve anything.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTo address Ethan's question, I don't think we should use whether or not Middle Eastern citizens will appreciate our actions as a motivating factor. That's like expecting a thank you for a good deed. I think the Pakistanis' actions are reasonably considering the failures over the US drone strikes. Personally, I don't think drone technology is developed enough to be used confidently and safely. This is a precarious situation that could turn very violent very soon and redirecting the deliveries is only a temporary solution.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Olivia, it is not that we should expect a thank you from Pakistan, it is that we have no real reason to be there in the first place. It is a waste of American dollars to be aiding nations unfriendly to the U.S. (think how Pakistan hid Osama bin Laden). In response to Ethan’s proposal to become energy independent, I am right there with you. However, in order to do this, we would need to deal with the environmentalists’ concerns over the Keystone Pipeline, clean coal, and natural gas. Romney proposed to get the United States North American energy independent by 2020 by tapping into our (and Canada’s) natural resources. While renewable resources are a great idea, the technology is not quite where it needs to be to solely rely on it (yet).
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the reason the US stays in Pakistan is for national security reasons rather than for oil. We stay there because we are still in Afghanistan and want to make sure we are not going to be totally surrounded by hostile countries. If you think about it Pakistan is the only quick way out of Afghanistan. We need to keep the "escape route" open and that is why we use drone strikes in Pakistan, because we need to control the terrorist movements there. It's sad that civilians have died but as I have said before, if Pakistan cleaned up its own backyard we wouldn't need to use drone. By the continuation of these protests, though Islamabad disapproves, it just shows the ineffectiveness of the Pakistani government.
ReplyDeleteIts a shame that the blood of innocent people is on our hands. In my eyes, Pakistan is being frustrating to work with, at least in this case. They should be grateful that we help them in a time of need. If it wasn't for the oil, that our country is so dependent on, there is no reason at all to be there. I suppose another ally, but that's not too significant. Bottom line, once we don't need Pakistan's support with oil, we should get out of there.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTo be quite honest, I feel like we've done so much in the Middle East that it's almost like a lost cause. I watch the news and all, but nothing ever stands out to me like "wow, America is the world's super hero, look at us". That's a side note, but back with the truck drivers. It really stinks that the truck drivers are the ones in harms way for this. They're really just delivery people; they aren't the ones who decided to move in drones. I agree with Olivia, rerouting these trucks is only going to be a temporary fix. The Pakistani protestors will eventually catch on to it.
ReplyDeleteI don't quite understand why the US is so hell-bent on helping a nation that clearly doesn't want our help. I believe that we are staying their for our own reasons now, reasons which are not worth putting our soldiers in danger. These drone strikes in Pakistan are completely unnecessary and make us look like the bad guy when we are trying to "help". At this point, I think Pakistan, until they come to us for help, is a lost cause.
ReplyDeleteThe United States made the responsible decision by stopping trucks from using the route
ReplyDeletethrough Pakistan. I do not believe however that the use of drones is a responsible decision.
These drones fly through street making noises that constantly keep people in fear. Their fears are
valid because there have been accidents with drone, so the people have every right to be angry,
although other people should not be put in danger by this.
We have to stop viewing Pakistan as a single entity. Just as we have differing points of view in America, so too do Pakistanis disagree among themselves on many issues. We can't assume that the protesters represent the views of all Pakistanis, so we can't go around saying the Pakistanis as a whole don't appreciate the US military presence. That being said, I don't think it's unreasonable to be upset about the civilian casualties caused by drone strikes. The protesters, like all protesters, are doing what they see fit in order to attract attention to their cause. We don't have to agree with their methods to see that the drone program in the Middle East needs reforming.
ReplyDeleteThe truck drivers really should be protected from these strikes, they are just innocent truck drivers. As for our intervention in the Middle East, I think we have done some good, but I also think maybe we should get some of our own affairs in order as well as a nation. I agree that our involvement in the Middle East is partially because of our oil dependency from some of these countries, so I think it would be a positive thing if we developed more solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy. It would help our country and help make the world cleaner.
ReplyDelete