There’s all sorts of stories that get buried or never reported by the US corporate mediaopolies (yes, that’s my neologism of the day). Right now they are obsessed with the US economy (i.e., Wall Street and the stock markets), mortgage cramdowns, unemployment, Michelle Obama’s fashion sense, Rush Limbaugh, blind cat love (really!) any celebrity you can think of, and the latest in a long line of gun nuts (or is that nuts with guns?) who shot and killed a bunch of people (this time a mother and 4 kids). All terribly important news events to someone or other (indeed, some of the stories they are reporting about are important, like the health care reform).
However, here’s something that they aren’t reporting on their front pages, touting on the home pages of their websites or meditating upon (i.e., pundits screaming at each other) on our cable news shows. It’s the assessment of the British Foreign Secretary about the perilous condition of Pakistan, the Islamic country which actually has nuclear weapons that could fall into the hands of terrorists and religious extremists. Suffice it to say he’s a bit worried about what’s going on over there:
Pakistan is facing a “mortal threat” from internal militancy, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said.
Mr Miliband told the BBC that politicians must unite to face a “very grave situation” that was worsening. […]
Mr Miliband told BBC Radio’s Today programme that Pakistan’s internal instability was “a grave situation and… it has got worse”.
He pointed to the fallout between President Asif Ali Zardari and former PM Nawaz Sharif, who was last week banned from elected office by the Supreme Court.
Mr Miliband urged politicians to unite, saying: “I think that the degree of political disunity that exists at the moment is only contributing to the problem.”
He added that country’s economic decline in the global credit crunch was also a major factor. […]
Secretary Millibrand’s comments come in the wake of a terrorist assault on Sri Lanka’s cricket team which was visiting Lahore for an international tournament.
Our Pentagon likes to sound the alarm bells about Iran, conflating the danger Iran represents to our security, because, after all, Iran is not one of our allies in the War on Terror. Yet Iran is still a long way from producing a nuclear weapon of any kind. Pakistan, whose military we generously funded for decades, has anywhere from 20 to over 100 nuclear devices (and delivery systems for said weapons), was the source of a well known effort to export its nuclear technology to other countries, and is the reputed home of Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders such as Osama Bin Ladin.
Not to mention the fact that it harbors a whole host of home grown extremists (e.g., Lashkar-e-Taiba) supported to varying degrees by elements of Pakistan’s influential and omnipresent Intelligence and Security Agency, the ISI, many of which have carried out terrorist attacks against India. The same ISI which the CIA helped establish, train and with which it still has many contacts. The same ISI which had close ties to the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the past, ties which more likely than not it still maintains. The same ISI alleged to have a connection to the September 11, 2001 attacks against our country
Which brings us back to the reason why this should be one of the top stories reported by the US media. Because Pakistan is a nuclear power, because Pakistan is filled to the gills with radical Islamic extremists both inside and outside its government, , because Pakistan is the home base for a multitude of Islamic based terrorist groups, and because Pakistan is dangerously unstable, we should be extremely worried and better informed about what is going within its borders. Indeed, our media should be reporting stories like this one on a daily basis:
Of all the security threats posed by Pakistan, the most worrying is the fate of the country’s nuclear arsenal.
Western governments are worried that if the state collapses, its nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of extremists, or simply out of control of any firm hands. Independent analysts are sceptical about official Pakistani assurances.
Well, “western governments ” may be concerned about Pakistan, its nuclear arsenal and its connection to terrorist extremists, but you’d never know about it from what the US media tells us. Which begs the question: Why don’t they care? This is a security threat of the first magnitude to the United States, Israel, India and Europe, but we hardly ever hear about Pakistan in our news unless a major political figure is assassinated (Benazir Bhutto) or a major terrorist attack is carried out against India. It’s beyond puzzling. It’s downright ludicrous that Americans are some of the least informed people on the planet when it comes to the rest of the world. But that’s the way our corporate media rolls. A tout on CNBC for stock and commodities markets goes off on a ridiculous rant and it’s headline news for days. Meanwhile Pakistan is near the boiling point and no one talks about it. No one in the US media, anyway.
When the vulgar masses are focused on American Idolatry and Jack Bauer’s latest exploits I would prefer for a situation as tenuous as Pakistan’s stability to be handled quietly out of the public view by the competent experts that we elected for such a time as this.
But that’s me.
I guess I’d prefer a well informed citizenry. Bush handled lots of crap out of the public eye and look where that got us.
Generally I would agree, but much like we don’t need to negotiate our treaties through the media we don’t need to focus people’s attention on complex problems with no obvious solutions – particularly those where a misstep could result in a nuclear exchange.
“Send Jack Bauer to handle it!” would be the wrong answer, albeit a popular one. I’m not saying that there has to be a media blackout, but I don’t have a problem with the lack of media emphasis right now.
So. It’s Pakistan next – to protect the world from the Islamic Bomb and the truth about our regional dealings.
No problem bombing in country from Predators now, provided you fully intend to send much, much more their way soon..
With the massive plenary indulgence Obama’s election has bought us in the world, I think we could certainly also squeeze in Sudan to bring Deathy McEvil to justice and steal their oil to boot!
Shoot! With things such as they are, can we afford not to assist Nigeria, Sao Tome and the rest of the oil-producing bite as well? Africa is Obama’s peach to eat!
Send the subs to the Arctic Sea Floor!
Or do the Red Chinese ‘win’?!!?!
Yar.
At all costs, Steven, the secrets of 9/11 must be hushed up and the role of Pakistan’s ISI and that guy Ahmad, in particular, must be assigned to the bin of history ignored.
Guess it was just the sheerest coincidence that the “paymaster” of the 9/11 hijackers was in Washington at the time of this great disaster and having meetings with high American officials including George Tenet, head of CIA.
Yet, if anyone suggests homegrown conspiracy, the bubba types of all political stripes go berserk and the mass media relegate that person and his comments to information Siberia.
Only an illiterate and dumb electorate would allow such a disgraceful cover-up to continue on for almost a decade now. Perhaps, in the fall out of our present economic disaster, truth might begin to emerge. But, don’t count on it.
If and when the Empire crashes – maybe after an atomic war ignited by Pakistan’s nukes and a radioactive planet – the survivors might begin an honest probe of what really occurred on 9/11 and what part this played in the final conflagration. That is, if anyone is left to conduct an honest investigation.
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“Many in the ISI loathe the United States. They view America as an unreliable and duplicitous ally, being especially resentful of the 1990 sanctions, which came one year after the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan. Furthermore, the ISI is dominated by Pashtuns, the same tribe that is the Taliban’s base of support across the border in Afghanistan. Partly because of its family, clan, and business ties to the Taliban, the ISI, even more than Pakistani society in general, has become increasingly enamored of radical Islam in recent years.”
[Slate, 10/9/2001]≈ Read my recent diary — Pakistan: 12 Gunmen Strike in Heart World Cricket (updated) ≈
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Nice job on the diary, Oui. Very informative. Thanks.
I’ve been saying since long before 9/11/01 that pakistan is themost dangerous country on the planet with respect to modern civilization and global security. Way bak then I viewwed India in the #2 spot for bad news fortheplanet, but that was becsuse of the rightwing Vajpatee/Advani government and the obvious bad blood with Pakistan. (These views were before the neocons asumedcontrol of the executive branch of the US, whereupon the US assumed ‘most dangerous’ status.
Nowadays though Pakistan is at the top of the heap again in my estimation and really nothing seems to have changed there for the better. and if there is an even greater increase in poverty in India due to the global economic meltdown anda reduced flow of capital from the US, and if a rightwing government assumes control there as a result, they’ll again be in the #2 spot on my list.
The scariest thing though, for me, is that I believe if a nuclear exchange were to take place between those 2 countries that the neocons would not be displeased. These lunatics may not be running the White House and US foreign policy directly any more, but they still have tremendous potential for bringing about an incalculable degree of destruction in the world.
Hit ‘post’ before ‘preview’. Sorry for all the typos.
I do that all the time. No worries Mate.
Why DON’T the media care. Media is plural. (Sorry, this is one of my pet peeves. More substantive comment pending.)
I’ll sum it up in 3 words: Poor – Dark – Foreigners
If it’s not about some pretty blonde, blue-eyed, photogenic High-school engenue or 4-year-old, then the Corporate Media doesn’t care.
no point getting peeved—it’s a simple fact that the Corporate Media editors are racist and sexist, and have organizations willing to hire people whose sole job is to apologize for this.
Instead of getting peeved, organize to limit their revenues (the majority of which come in from advertising, still)….when you have ’em by the purse-strings, then you can dictate coverage more easily
It’s a pain, but the ‘don’t get mad, get even’ meme usually works…..
In her defense (and this is a rarity) her particular peeve in this instance is grammar, not necessarily the situation, although I wouldn’t be too terribly surprised if she’s peeved about that too.
The Guardian.