US in penultimate ultimatum to Pakistan

NY Times:

The Obama administration is turning up the pressure on Pakistan to fight the Taliban inside its borders, warning that if it does not act more aggressively the United States will use considerably more force on the Pakistani side of the border to shut down Taliban attacks on American forces in Afghanistan, American and Pakistani officials said.

The blunt message was delivered in a tense encounter in Pakistan last month, before President Obama announced his new war strategy, when Gen. James L. Jones, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, and John O. Brennan, the White House counterterrorism chief, met with the heads of Pakistan’s military and its intelligence service.

United States officials said the message did not amount to an ultimatum, but rather it was intended to prod a reluctant Pakistani military to go after Taliban insurgents in Pakistan who are directing attacks in Afghanistan.

For their part the Pakistanis interpreted the message as a fairly bald warning that unless Pakistan moved quickly to act against two Taliban groups they have so far refused to attack, the United States was prepared to take unilateral action to expand Predator drone attacks beyond the tribal areas and, if needed, to resume raids by Special Operations forces into the country against Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

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The security demands followed an offer of a broader strategic relationship and expanded nonmilitary economic aid from the United States. Pakistan’s politically weakened president, Asif Ali Zardari, replied in writing to a two-page letter that General Jones delivered by hand from Mr. Obama. But Mr. Zardari gave no indication of how Pakistan would respond to the incentives, which were linked to the demands for greatly stepped-up counterterrorism actions.

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This is not that different from the message that the Bush administration gave Pakistan after 9-11. The main difference is that the point of issue is what is happening on Pakistan real estate.

While the US may see this as carrot and stick diplomacy, Pakistan probably sees it as mainly stick with some sweeteners for going along. Pakistan has had this bizarre position that say it is a violation of their sovereignty for the US to operate on their real estate, but for the Taliban and al Qaeda to use their real estate for attacking us it is something else. That position does not make much sense to the US and the Obama administration is right to push them on it.