The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #134808   Message #3069627
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
07-Jan-11 - 10:00 PM
Thread Name: BS: Pakistan today and yesterday
Subject: RE: BS: Pakistan today and yesterday
I don't think that the terms 'right-wing' and 'left-wing' apply to what is happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

As bobad says, religious extremists (conservatives)- really those who hang on to the beliefs and culture of 1000 and more years ago- have always been there. They were willing, for the most part, to let a degree of secularism arise so long as they were not affected in their areas.
With the attempt by the Russians to take over in Afghanistan, and the Pakistan government's attempt to strengthen control in the frontier states where the old beliefs were strong- the younger people, who normally would be prone to relax their views to some extent, became politicized as the result of intervention by the West and willing to listen to Al Queda and Osama, and to take up arms- hence the rise of the Taliban which now is a force that I doubt can be defeated as long as the U. S. keeps forces in the region.

The secularists, the Sufi, and other moderate Muslims are in retreat and it will be at least two generations before they can recoup their pre-invasion position.
Moderates are leaving if they are able. Attacks against moderates and Christians (once tolerated) in Iraq and even Egypt are increasing. Northern India may brcome embroiled.

The policies of the west have been a disaster in the region.