Short Quiz

[johnkarls]

.
1. Are America’s primary foreign-policy objectives vis-à-vis Pakistan anti-nuclear-proliferation and anti-terrorism?

2. Has Pakistan’s mountainous Northwest Tribal Region been home to Al Qaeda’s top brass since the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2001?

3. How long has Pakistan had nuclear weapons?

4. Did North Korea acquire its nuclear-weapons technology from Pakistan?

5. Did Libya acquire its nuclear-weapons technology from Pakistan? Did Libya “chicken out” after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 and renounce its nuclear-weapons program?

6. Did Iran acquire its nuclear-weapons technology from Pakistan? Did Iran “freeze” like a “deer caught in the headlights” after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003? But after a pause, resume its nuclear-weapons program?

7. Have there been news reports that Saudi Arabia has already paid Pakistan for a “turn key” nuclear-weapons program, to be delivered as soon as Iran goes nuclear?

8. As we have studied in the past, will Turkey, Egypt and The Gulf State Six (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) each go nuclear as soon as Iran goes nuclear?

9. As we have studied in the past, is this because Turkey, Egypt and The Gulf State Six are following the philosophy of French President Charles de Gaulle who took France out of NATO and developed French nuclear weapons because he believed America would never risk a nuclear holocaust to save France?

10. Do 50% of the world’s oil supplies originate in the Persian Gulf OR DOWNWIND from the P.G., meaning that since agricultural fertilizers come from petrochemicals, HALF OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION WILL NO LONGER BE SUSTAINABLE following a nuclear war in the Persian Gulf?

11. For our 3/13/2008 meeting 6 years ago, did we focus on “Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West” by Benazir Bhutto?

12. Like her father, former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and like two of her brothers, was Benazir Bhutto (who had served as Pakistani Prime Minister 1988-1990 and 1993-1996 and who had just returned to Pakistan on 10/18/2007 to run again for Prime Minister) assassinated by (per widespread belief) the Pakistani military?

13. Had Benazir Bhutto been in exile in Dubai during the Pakistani reign of General Musharraf 10/12/1999 – 8/18/2008?

14. Following her assassination on 12/27/2007, did Benazir Bhutto’s husband become Prime Minister?

15. Had Benazir Bhutto graduated from Harvard U. in 1973 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa? And did she receive her PhD from Oxford U. in 1977 after being the first Asian woman to be elected President of the prestigious Oxford Union Debating Society?

16. Was our current author, Prof. Husain Haqqani of Boston University, interviewed by the MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour (aka PBS Newshour) following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto?

17. Did Prof. Haqqani’s 1999-2008 exile at Boston University parallel Benazir Bhutto’s exile time-wise?

18. Had Prof. Haqqani been a high-ranking adviser to 3 non-military Pakistani Prime Ministers? Was he Spokesman for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (1992-1993) and Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (1993-1995)? [NB: Nawaz Sharif became Pakistani Prime Minister once again 6/5/2013.]

19. Did Prof. Haqqani serve as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S. 4/13/2008 - 11/22/2011 during the Prime Ministership of Benazir Bhutto’s husband?

20. In a nutshell, what is the thesis of Prof. Haqqani’s “Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding”?

21. In a nutshell, what was the thesis of Benazir Bhutto’s “Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West”?

22. For those of us who studied Benazir Bhutto’s book for our 3/13/2008 meeting, is it more valuable than Prof. Haqqani’s “Magnificent Delusions” for our future relations with Pakistan?

23. What should our future relations with Pakistan be like from a perspective of Real Politik?

24. Isn’t the reaction of the American media silly when it focuses on the quality of the American relationship with any recipient of American aid (not just Pakistan but also, for example, Egypt) and trumpets that the foreign government receives, say, $3 billion/year in U.S. foreign aid?

25. In other words, wouldn’t $3 billion be considered by the U.S. government to be a “rounding error” in its annual budgets which are characterized by TRILLION dollar DEFICITS (don’t even think about how much total spending there is!!!)???

26. What is the size of Pakistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)??? And, for that matter, Egypt’s GDP???

27. Isn’t the real significance of American foreign aid, despite its insignificance as what would otherwise be considered a “rounding error” by the recipient governments, that it takes the form of military aid???

28. And that American military aid comprises the world’s most advanced conventional weapons???

29. And that America carefully calibrates the sophistication of the military hardware that it will supply to each recipient government???

30. For example, wasn’t Tom Hanks’ character, U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson in the movie “Charlie Wilson’s War” about Afghanistan, severely criticized by Pakistan’s President 1978-1988, General Zia-ul-Haq, for America’s refusal to supply Pakistan with the advanced radar for American military aircraft given to Pakistan that would permit the aircraft to achieve their full potential???

31. So isn’t America merely following the thesis of William Manchester’s “Arms of Krupp” that virtually all wars throughout history have been determined by which side had superior technology???

32. Is “Pax Americana” which is based on nuclear non-proliferation and careful balancing of the sophistication of American-supplied conventional weapons to the world’s protagonists, about to be destroyed by a nuclear-arms race in the Middle East???