Arming Allies Who Are Also Enemies
Selling weapons to Pakistan and India is risky business
By Frida Berrigan
Nov. 7, 2001
NEW YORK -- As President Bush prepares to meet with Pakistani leader Gen. Pervez Musharaff this week, a top priority should be how to avoid a wider war in South Asia. A good start would be for Washington to think twice before it sells new arms to Pakistan and India.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the Bush administration sought to build a coalition against terrorism, gaining the cooperation of Pakistan and its rival, India, by removing sanctions on U.S. arms exports and military assistance.
Now, according to Pakistani news reports, Musharaff comes to the United States with a detailed wish list of new weapons. On that list is likely to be the latest version of the F-16 fighter plane, spare parts for older models, anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles as well as artillery and rocket launchers.
Meanwhile, in meetings in New Delhi earlier this week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced the resumption of military ties with India, saying, "I think it is important." U.S. and Indian defense officials will begin a series of meetings next month to discuss defense cooperation and strategic partnership between the two countries.
It can be argued that Pakistan, which shares a long border and a fractious history with Afghanistan, needs U.S. weapons to protect itself as it positions itself with the West in this new war. But it still remains to be seen if Musharaff, who seized power in a military coup two years ago, can control the military and police, keeping weapons from being turned against citizens protesting his new friendship with Washington.
Moreover, South Asia is one of the most politically volatile regions in the world. India and Pakistan have fought three wars in the past 50 years, and have threatened to use nuclear weapons in their long-standing disputes. The introduction of new weapons, particularly F-16s, provides Pakistan with an effective and deadly delivery vehicle for its nuclear weapons, tipping the precarious balance of power in the region.
The flashpoint of tension between India and Pakistan is the province of Kashmir, claimed by both countries since their partition in 1947. The two countries have fought two wars there and in the last ten years more than 25,000 people have been killed. To remind the United States of this intractable conflict, Indian artillery opened fired on Pakistani bases in Kashmir across the cease fire line two weeks ago, just as Secretary of State Colin Powell was visiting the region.
This spike in tensions calls into question the United States' influence in South Asia, with or without weapons sales. In addition, one need only look at Somalia, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan to conclude that Washington cannot control the weapons it exports. There is no guarantee that American weapons will not fall into the hands of enemies-to-be and threaten U.S. troops in future conflicts.
So as President Bush works to cements the coalition against terrorism, he should be wary of sowing the seeds of the next conflict by arming allies who also happen to enemies of one another.
Frida Berrigan is a Research Associate with the World Policy Institute's Arms Trade Resource Center in New York.
Copyright 2001, Global Beat Syndicate, 418 Lafayette Street, Suite 554, New York, NY 10003 http://www.nyu.edu/globalbeat/syndicate.