From Great Game to Grand Bargain

This is the title of the article published in the "Foreign Affairs' journal that has made today's headline for The Times of India. The article is a reference to "The Great Game" that was played in central Asia and Afghanistan between Russia and the British Empire in the late 1900's and the early twentieth century. It proposes a "Grand Bargain" that would allow Pakistan and Afghanistan a way out of the chaos they are steeped in at the moment. The writers Barnett Rubin and Ahmed Rashid give a succinct explanation of the scenario as it exists now in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It elaborates on the concerns of the key players viz. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran, US and Russia. It then goes on to suggest solutions to the issues at hand.

The Times of India reports "US ropes in Pak security experts, India jittery". The report stems from the fact that Ahmed Rashid was invited by Gen. Petreaus for consultations on the situation in Afghanistan. I have read Rashid's articles on BBC News and the comments his articles garner have demonstrated to me that his views are not taken well by many inside Pakistan. Some praise him for having the courage to say things that need to be said, while others revile him for not being patriotic enough. His articles are more or less balanced and so was this one. The only reason why India would need to feel jittery is if some of the naive suggestions in the article are taken seriously by the US.

The article says,

"Pakistan's strategic goals in Afghanistan place Pakistan at odds not just with Afghanistan and India, and with U.S. objectives in the region, but with the entire international community."

It's core argument regarding Pakistan is that instead of turning into another member of the "Axis of Evil", the world should get together and guarantee that no one will try to dismember Pakistan. This is just another way of saying that Afghanistan will accept the Durand Line, Balochistan will not be allowed to break away and India will maintain the status quo in Kashmir. It also implies that India, US and Afghanistan will not gang up on Pakistan and coerce it to do something it doesn't want to. This is something that I have to agree with. It doesn't help anybody, especially not India, if Pakistan decides to implode upon itself or breaks of co-operation with the rest of the world. A stable Pakistan is much more preferable.

The suggestions also include:

• Europe and the US should open up their markets for Pakistani exports


• The US should assure Russia that it has no intention of setting up a permanent US/NATO base in Afghanistan
• Give aid to Pakistan and Afghanistan


• China and Saudi Arabia should continue investing in Pakistan


• Assure Iran that US will not use Afghanistan as a base for attacking it

India is asked to give some substantial concessions:

• Submit to a UN Security Council group to find a "solution" to Kashmir and interests in Afghanistan


• Transparency about RAW activities in Afghanistan


• Allow the world to guarantee "open borders" between Kashmir and Pakistan

However, the suggestion that I find the most ridiculous is to allow Pakistan to have a nuclear deal with the US and essentially give it parity with India regarding it's nuclear status. The authors mention that all of this would be under international scrutiny but the thought of giving a country with a known record of nuclear proliferation any help in this arena is just incomprehensible.

The article seems well-intentioned and I appreciate the author's efforts in trying to find the solution to a difficult problem, but the suggestions don't seem to be workable. Some of them will result in stepped-on toes if the US does take them seriously. To me, that doesn't seem to be very likely.