Prof. C. Christine Fair of Georgetown University explains the horror that is the state of Pakistan, and why the US keeps subsidizing that mess. This is a talk she gave in Hyderabad, India. She lapses occasionally into Urdu, but for most part that should not be a problem for an American audience.
Among the problems she points out that are purely American in origin are that:
(a) US aid is a way of transferring public money (your and my tax dollars) to private contractors like Halliburton, etc.
(b) The US diplomatic corps does not have a South Asia cadre and institutional memory is poor. The US Department of State's institutional understanding of South Asia is lousy.
(c) Per Prof. Fair, Hillary Clinton has a much more accurate and sane view of Pakistan than, e.g., Secy. of State John Kerry, who keeps appeasing Pakistan.
This talk is a must for anyone who is worried about long-term peace and stability in the world; and it is a must for anyone who wonders why American foreign policy is sometimes so ineffective.
Sorry, no transcript.
