Pakistan: Another Failed U.S. Policy: NewAmerica.net

A few hours ago I hosted the release of the Terror Free Tomorrow/New America Foundation public attitude survey of Pakistan. The whole event can be viewed here. The report is here.

The poll goes into depth in many areas, with some striking results: more than 50% of Pakistanis support negotiations with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The United States is more feared as a threat to individual security than India. China is loved with an 82% favorable rating. Nawaz Sharif has an 86% approval rating. Musharraf is down to 23%.

Ken Ballen, president of Terror Free Tomorrow, summed up the findings well. View his comments here. Ken said the poll really strikes at the heart of three myths: that anti-American feelings do not matter; that we cannot change attitudes toward the U.S. anyway; and that they hate us for our freedoms. According to this polling, anti-americanism is driving political preferences, there are clear things the U.S. can do to improve our standing, and its the policies we pursue, not our passport, that piss people off.

When I add it up, I take it in a different direction. I believe you get a resounding repudiation of U.S. strategy towards Pakistan. That strategy has been to treat Pakistan as a central front on the war on terror. It's not hard to see why this has failed: the top issues for Pakistanis are restoring and independent judiciary, a free press, fair elections, and improving the Pakistani economy. But the U.S. has done little, if anything to support the lawyers rebellion calling for the reinstatement of the ousted judges, has poured billions of aid into not the economy but the military, and has stuck by Musharraf until the elections, while still not changing our policy. Worse, from Pakistani eyes, the U.S. is launching hellfire missile strikes and killing Pakistani civilians and military. Violence is at its highest leves in decades.

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