Is Pakistan a danger to The World?

Question

They supported the Taliban and Taliban training camps still exist there.
They were caught selling nuclear secrets although the govt denied they had any knowledge and that it was the head of their nuclear programme acting independantly.
The 7 July 2005 bombers in London were all of Pakistani origin.
All of the people arrested recently in the UK in connection with the alleged aircraft bomb plot were Pakistani and apparently received orders from Karachi.
It is believed that Osama bin Laden is in hiding in Pakistan.
Is this country now the biggest danger to The World?

to alfonso r
Arab nation?
to sara85blue
Go back to the top and read the question again.I did not refer to the Taliban as terrorists.
to aka Darthdad.
You describe Pakistan as a democracy.It is not.Musharraf seized power in a coup.In doing so he directly contravened the Pakistani constitution which stated that the leader of the military(which he was)cannot also hold the position of President.He got around that little problem by re-writing the constitution(also undemocratically)

Answer 1

If Musharraf is deposed by a pro-Taliban radical faction (whom I would decline to call Muslims) then, being a nuclear power, they could become quite dangerous.

But I don't regard countries in themselves as dangerous. I regard memes as dangerous - especially the Machismo meme:

http://www.davidbrin.com/newmemewar1.html

Osama Bin Laden was very successful in cultivating the growth of his own preferred meme of Machismo in the U.S. by organising the 9/11 attacks.

Edit: If you do insist on pointing the finger at countries, people would do well not to underestimate the danger of North Korea to the world. If they attack South Korea (one of the world's largest manufacturers of semiconductors amongst other things) this will destabilise the world economy in a very significant way.

North Korea have 20,000 artillery pieces aimed at Seoul, one of the world's great centres of industry. They don't even need to go nuclear to cause serious harm. And they are ruled by someone who is quite literally a madman.

Their standing army is 1 million strong. Compare that to the 350,000 troops Iraq fielded when the coalition invaded.

Don't underestimate NK!

Answer 2

The majority of people in Pakistan are under-educated and hateful and mistrustful of the West, the USA in particular, and sympathetic to the Taliban.

The government and military are run by an educated elite who are more secular and more amenable to the west. They are having monumental problems keeping their wilder citizens in check.

the government is between a rock and a hard place. On one side the superpower USA able to inflict God-awful ruination on any sovereign nation that opposes it, and fanatical suicidal religious zealots who have already had two almost successful assassination attempts of Musharraf.

The government has largely stabalized and normalized its relations with India, so the sanctioned use of nuclear weapons is unlikely.

There is, however, always the chance of infiltration by radicals into sensitive areas as there is also in the military.

The Pakistani's that immigrate to Europe and North America are those who have largely left that place behind in search of a better way of life, they have more in common with the ruling class in their homeland than the rabble, but obviously some of them are not to be trusted.

These ones blame their marginalization in their adopted homeland as the fault of "evil zionist capitalism" and do not take responsibility for their own fates.

Pakistan is on the front line against terrorism. The government their takes horrendous abuse and damage from terrorists, but remain unbowed.

We have an obligation to be patient as Pakistan suffers through growing pains to become a modern democracy. As long as the moderates remain in power, there remains hope. if the moderates fall, then bombing back to the stone age becomes a real option.

Answer 3

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, Pakistan, the Taliban & the CIA joined forces to fight the evil empire of the USSR during their occupation of Afghanistan.

Now the Taliban, are friends become enemies & they are fighting us with some of the same weapons we gave them to fight the USSR.

Various tribes that live across the border between Pakistan & Afghanistan, that supported the resistance against the USSR, are now supporting the resistance against the USA.

Thought # 1 - choose your allies wisely - think about what relationship you want with them, after the end of hostilities.

Thought # 2 - Accept responsibility for whatever use is made of weapons that you give/sell to others.

Answer 4

They did not support the Taliban, but much of the North is out of government control. There's the point: the government is Pro-West but the people are dirt poor & ignorant so they see anyone taking on their leaders & the West as a hero.

The only way they are a real danger is if the whole Kashmir dispute starts again & they start trading nukes with India.

Answer 5

The Pakistani Government denies supporting the Taliban and just because terrorists originate or train in a particular country it does not make that country a danger to the world. The July 7th bombers were also British so would you say that makes Britain a danger too?

Answer 6

Musharraf can not sustain the terrorists due to the pressure he is facing with tribal of Pakistan who still live in Stone Age. (Killing Woman whom found guilty of immoral, by stoning in public places). No Government Officials can stop or has guts to question the stupid tribal leaders.
Surely Pakistan the alley on War on Terrorism is going to be no:1 enemy of USA. No Doubt within 5 years.
Every Army men are there to topple him right now.

Answer 7

The USA & UK should stand by with their nukes, just in case.
I would not trust a single person on Pakistani origin in Pakistan itself or the UK or anywhere else in the world.
All the suffering that India has had to endure, while the world stood by and watched.
This bully boy (Pakistan) is now attempting to threaten civilisation itself.

Answer 8

Yes I think Pakistan is a danger to the world, more so then N Korea, but slightly less then Iran. But all 3 do a massive amount to instability in there own regions. Remember there are three types of people in this world, Dicks, A#s holes and Pu#sy's,and Pakistan is an A#s hole, and as the Dicks its our job to f##k that A#s hole..

Answer 9

I would say that they MAY be a threat, however, the storm in Iraq that the US created is potentially more danerous than Pakistan. The government is still an ally, which is great.

Iraq is now a breeding ground for terrorists, which makes it a very dangerous place.

Answer 10

May be you are right but you must think for a little while on thye facts given below then you determine who is behind the terror in fact.

1. The taliban who you called as terrorists and supported by Pakistan are the afghan people. In 80s these afghan people were supported by USA aganist USSR. US supported "madrassas" in pakistan and afghanistan where they were used to get training of "JIHAD". the jihad (the holy muslim war) was then supported by USA. When the terrorists (then freedom fighters) were defeated by USSR, USA provided them stinger missiles and thus they were able to fight USSR. USSR defeated and the aim of USA was achieved, so USA left afghanistan lonely. These freedom fighter who were supported by USA and then left alone started to fight for power at capital kabul. then Pakistan supported a group of them called taliban, who ruled afganistan for about two or three years very well.

2. these all are afghan people (who had faught against USSR and are fighting against USA). the just diffrence is that whne they were fighting aganist USSR, they were freedom fighgters, but now they are fighting in the same way, same place agaist a foreign military, now they are terrorists.

3. about pakistan nuclear capability:
Pakistan is having atomic power just to have defence security aganist india, i am an indian but i know how untrustworthy is indian government. think here about USA strategy also. When Pakistan started having nuclead program in 70s USA was angry on it. but whne Pakistan became ally aganist USSR in 80s in afghanistan war. USA accepted its program, but whne the war at afghanistan was over then USA imposed sanctions aginst pakistan, and when again USA needed pakistan support in was on terror it nuclear program is acceptable to him.

4. The bombers of london are pakistanis but they have british nationality also.

5. i am sorry on those people who are pointing pakistan in war on terror as suspecious. Pakistan has captured about 600 members of Al-Qaeda, except Osama, and you rae pointing pakistan. He is in Afghanistan.

Now you tell me who is the terrorist,