Round Table Discussion #2

5.         Read up on current political conditions in Pakistan and relations between the United States and Pakistan. What are some of the current issues and problems? Given these, do you think Mortenson’s vision can work for lasting and meaningful change? What places in the book either give hope for solving these issues or suggest that the issues are probably too large to solve.

According to http://www.examiner.com/x-15968-Hartford-Independent-Examiner~y2009m8d30-Ruminations-on-Obamas-foreign-policy, the US seems to be on good terms with Pakistan. Obama is going to kind on being nice to the people in Pakistan to keep them from turning on us. But yet, we are hurting Pakistan by staying in Afghanistan because of a pointless war started back in 2001. It is a Catch-22, really. We can’t leave Afghanistan, because we will hurt Pakistan ever more due to the fact they have the missile. But yet, our stay in Afghanistan is hurting them even more. It is a lose-lose situation. Pakistan also denies modifying any missiles at all. However, the army has killed forty-five Taliban militants across the northwestern Swat Valley after a suicide bombing on a police station killed 17 cadets. It is all really a crazy time in Pakistan. We can have a lasting and meaningful change in the country, but it we have to clear out some red tape at the moment. The Taliban and the so-called, “War on Terror,” is not really helping the situation at the moment. The fact that Mortenson will not give up on building the school or on the children’s futures no matter how grim the outcome looks gives hope that mankind can bring about change if they care and actually put everything they have to it. Not always the case, but trying to do something is better than sitting back and doing nothing. And that is a noble thing to behold.