Seymour Hersh: Can An Unstable Pakistan Keep Safe Its Nuclear Arsenal?

New Yorker:

In the tumultuous days leading up to the Pakistan Army's ground offensive in the tribal area of South Waziristan, which began on October 17th, the Pakistani Taliban attacked what should have been some of the country's best-guarded targets. In the most brazen strike, ten gunmen penetrated the Army's main headquarters, in Rawalpindi, instigating a twenty-two-hour standoff that left twenty-three dead and the military thoroughly embarrassed. The terrorists had been dressed in Army uniforms. There were also attacks on police installations in Peshawar and Lahore, and, once the offensive began, an Army general was shot dead by gunmen on motorcycles on the streets of Islamabad, the capital. The assassins clearly had advance knowledge of the general's route, indicating that they had contacts and allies inside the security forces.

Read the whole story: New Yorker

Comments

[PSM42]

FOLLOW UP

Things you can't read in this locality - US Denies Pakistan Nuclear Report - November 11, 2009 -

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23941.htm

[DoesItMatter]

Was Pakistan supposed to be even stable? Well that is the question sometimes I ask my self. The way some of the Western powers have propped up the country - the first country to be created on the basis of religion in the 20th century; sometimes it looks like the powers-to-be want this country to exist to just do their bidding - i.e. keep other countries in the region under check.

I just feel sad for the millions of innocents caught in this "Great Game v 2.0".

[iplaw]

Lets just hope that someone responsible placed tracking devices on Pakistan's 3 nuclear missile laden submarines. Those babies could take out the entire east coast if they got within 100 miles of DC. They could still kill millions if they got within 500 miles.

[MIKEinNYC]

It's interesting that there seems always to be adherents of certain ideologies that threaten world peace. Once is was nazis. Then it was Communists. Now it's radical Islamists.

[Usama]

BS, Mike. Imperial Capitalists control the world. And Western imperial capitalists want to make Pakistan and Afghanistan a corridor to the Caspian sea basin oil and gas deposits, ending Russia's predominance of the region. But China also seeks to make Pakistan a corridor for its access to the Persian Gulf. China has already invested billions into the Gwadar deep sea port in SW Pakistan and into Pakistan's highway system. China has a major naval base there too. America and EU are in conflict with China over the future of Pakistan. Go read The Grand Chessboard by Zbigiew Brzezinski. In it, he explains that to retain global supremacy, America must dominate Central Asia, the crossroads between East (China), West (Europe), North (Russia), South (India), rather than allow these nations to compete amongst each other without America. If you are going to list 'Isms', you forgot Global Imperialism of which America dominates.

[surlyatbest]

Hersh is alive? We heard nothing from Seymour when Obama bombed innocent civilians in Pakistan, I thought surley he had passed.

[unitron]

Perhaps you're confusing him with the late David Halberstam?

[MIKEinNYC]

We cannot have a nuclear Pakistan ruled by wacky fanatics.

What's going to have to happen is that the world's Responsible Nuclear Powers, (i.e. US, Russia, China, France, Great Britain, excluding India), will have to jointly go into Pakistan to safeguard Pakistan's nukes.

It would be nice if Pakistan's present rulers would extend an invitation to the Powers to implment this right now while they're still in power should there be an effort to topple them by the fanatics who cannot be allowed to posess nukes.

[therightgame]

You mean the China which traded nuclear secrets with North Korea and Pakistan?

[Tenjikuronin]

Its funny that you should exclude the one country that has the best capability of disabling Pakistan both inside and out.

Besides, compared to China, India has been much more respobsible with its nuclear technology...

[MIKEinNYC]

I agree with you but what we need to do is secure Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. A coalition of responsible nuclear powers would garner Pakistan's trust. India is considered an enemy by Pakistan. There is no way that Pakistan would allow India to get its hands on Pakistan's nukes.

[Sohail Parwaz]

The USA, a responsible nuke power? Gimme A break man. I believe you have forgotten the debacles of Hiroshima mand nagasaki, the only nuclear disasters of history. Apart from that what about those 19 air nuke accidents involved at least 5 B-52s and a couple of B-47 & B-36. You were not probably born when in March 11,1958, a B-47 plane lost a nuclear bomb in South Carolina. You want me to give some sea and land nuke accidents details also? Why dont you folks just mind your own business and rest assured tyhat our nukes would be absolutely safe with any form of government. So just go home and relax please.

[ancientmarinader]

Sane pakistanis better wake up. If Islamicists take over and use one, we'll lose a city and they'll lose their country. But I have no confidence that fundamentalists can do that math correctly.

[MIKEinNYC]

The problem is that there are too many people on the Islamist's side of the equation who are willing to sacrifice themselves, (i.e. suicide bombers), and others for the sake of Allah.

In fact they think that making "martyrs" of others thereby speeding their way to "paradise" for the sake of their sick cause is doing their victims a favor.

This is why they must be stopped.

[Bill125]

According to tonight's 60 Minutes, no country's nuclear arsenal is safe, nor is its infrastructure. Sophisticated hackers have compromised everything. Code is built into chips, thumbdrives etc. and, using agents, firewalls are bypassed and cyber systems compromised. The whole world is involved in a cyber "Cold War." This is a war that could go Hot . Our government is working on the problem.

[Bloggerrogr]

Somehow the words, "Our government is working on the problem" don't exactly inspire confidence.

FWIW

[laserbob]

Just one problem with this article, which is still a very good and insightful look into the
current state of nuclear politics in Pakistan. Mr. Hersh made this comment, and I find
that it is probably lacking in it's accuracy in regards to only one country with this
special arrangement with the US..

"Pakistan’s fears about the United States coöperating with India are not irrational.
Last year, Congress approved a controversial agreement that enabled India to
purchase nuclear fuel and technology from the United States without joining the
Non-Proliferation Treaty, making India the only non-signatory to the N.P.T. permitted
to do so. "

I can think of a least one other country who may also have this "special arrangement"...

lb

[bynddrvn5]

The war in Afghanistan is helping to destabilize Pakistan. We need to start fighting with our smarts as well as our fancy weapons.

NPR just aired a story where several analysts warned about destabilizing Pakistan.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113552516

[ancientmarinader]

So you imagine that if we leave afghanistan, and the Taliban has a safe haven, that they will suddenly make peace with pakistan and not try to create an islamic state there using their new base?

I dont see it.

[Tenjikuronin]

Since when has Pakistan ever been stable to begin with?

[uneeda]

send special ops in to snatch the nukes and then bring everybody home and end the insanity

[deepfreezevideo]

Antipathy toward the United States...IDIOTS.
We're the best friend they have right now.
The problem is, they're in denial about Waziristan, thinking it's "one of their provinces".
It's not.
Waziristan is a rogue separatist nation, and the Paks had better come to terms with this fact and grant
Waziristan full independence, and then either help or get the hell out of the way.
One thing is certain. Waziristan WILL NEVER cease its plans to destroy Pakistan and take it over, and they won't stop there, either. Waziristan wants to dominate the entire region, to India and beyond.

[Tenjikuronin]

Waziristan is just a remnant of the Durand Line. They want to be with their "Pushtun Brothers" in Afghanistan and don't view themselves as part of Pakistan. As far as "domination" is concerned, they don't have to capability to take on the entirety of Pakistan, much less India.

[commetor]

Pakistan is the source of Islamist bees.. The bee hive is in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. We need to get to the Beehive call the ISI. This bee hive aloso has access to the Nooks!

They need to be taken out like... yesterday!

[Durango]

Hey, a vote for nuclear war!

Now there is something I hadn't thought of.

A holocaust. that ought to teach em.

[commetor]

No..just a first stroke on Pakistan so they won't even have time to contemplate using the nooks on others

[POTUS2008]

Hersh is a well documented liar. his stories are exciting because they are works of fiction.

[Albert Amato]

Examples of his lies, please.

[00Ruth7]

love reading articles by Hersh
this one was quite long