[Peace-discuss] Battle of Kabul on schedule for spring?

[C. G. Estabrook]

[An Indian view of Holbrooke of Kabul (cf. Gordon of Khartoum: see "Flashman and 
the Tiger," "Flashman and the Dragon").  The new administration has, typically, 
adopted the main lines of the old administration's policy: keep India out of the 
Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Asian energy grid.  --CGE]

	Holbrooke visit: Kabul on agenda
	31 Jan 2009, 0331 hrs IST
	Indrani Bagchi, TNN

NEW DELHI: Richard Holbrooke, US President Barack Obama's special envoy for 
Pakistan-Afghanistan, will make his first foray in this region in a
fortnight. Holbrooke is expected to make Kabul his first stop, before going to 
Islamabad and finally finishing off in New Delhi.

High level sources here said India was keen to be part of the consultations with 
the new US administration regarding Holbrooke's mandate in this region. As the 
pre-eminent power of the region, India would also give its perspectives on the 
situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan to Holbrooke, sources said.

India has deep interests in Afghanistan and therefore has a strong interest in 
US policies in this region. Being one of the biggest donors in Afghanistan, 
India, said sources, has an interest in stabilising Afghanistan which is the 
stated objective of the US.

Holbrooke will essentially be in charge of south Asia policy in the new 
administration, so India's interactions with him will necessarily increase.

It took some sustained Indian diplomacy to remove Kashmir from Holbrooke's 
mandate, but having done that, India is now ready to engage proactively with the 
US on this region. Ultimately though, the quality of India's engagement will 
depend on whether the US can resist the temptation of giving in to what will be 
Pakistan's sustained demands of tying up Kashmir resolution to the stabilisation 
of Afghanistan.

India will also give the US a more detailed picture of terrorism emanating from 
the Pakistan-Afghanistan region in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

India will also use some diplomatic capital to ask countries like the US to cut 
military aid to Pakistan, which is routinely diverted. This, said sources, is 
gaining traction in parts of the world. Earlier, where Pakistan got blank 
cheques from the US, the first questions are now being asked, and for the first 
time $55 million of it has been held back by the US. While the $1.5 billion 
Lugar-Biden assistance package for Pakistan will be cleared, there may be 
conditions attached on Pakistan acting on terrorism. It's taking a lot of work, 
but the word, said sources, is going out that Pakistan will have to be pushed to 
curb terror.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Holbrooke_visit_Kabul_on_agenda/articleshow/4054626.cms

C. G. Estabrook wrote:
> [Holbrooke likes the Vietnam parallel to Afghanistan -- perhaps to 
> recover his lost youth.  But the parallel may be dangerous, and Kabul 
> may be his Dien Bien Phu. --CGE]
> 
>     New U.S. troops set to fight Taliban around Kabul
>     Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:47am EST
>     By Jonathon Burch
> 
> BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Some 3,000 new U.S. soldiers 
> have set up bases near the Afghan capital, Kabul, to begin flushing out 
> Taliban in an area which has so far seen little military presence, the 
> U.S. army said on Wednesday...