Hillary Clinton reached into her wardrobe for the colours of Pakistan's flag for her first visit as Secretary of State. On top of a green pantsuit, her neck was wreathed in alternating white and green stones. But Mrs Clinton will encounter many Pakistanis who are unmoved by her sartorial taste, or her just as carefully chosen words. So deep is the trust deficit between the two allies that 80 per cent of Pakistanis oppose their country's co-operation with the US, according to a recent poll.
Washington wants Pakistan to do more against militants. Rankled Pakistanis point to the heavy price they are paying already. Just hours after Mrs Clinton arrived, the biggest bomb in two years killed nearly 100 people at a crowded women's marketplace in Peshawar.
Mrs Clinton will find it hard to shift those attitudes. The current ground offensive in South Waziristan signals a hardening of Pakistani resolve against the militants based there who pose a direct threat to Pakistan. But there are few signs that Pakistan is prepared to take on those militants who use its territory as a staging ground for cross-border attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan. Most notably, Mullah Omar and the leadership of the Afghan Taliban, whom Western officials suspect are based around Quetta city.
Obviously, this isn't an easy gig, and there don't seem to be any quick fixes. I'll be lighting candles for Hillary throughout the very tough challenges she will continue to face.
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It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.... Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less. ~Susan B. Anthony
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Hillarysworld -> International -> Omar Waraich: Helping America is a tough sell in this part of the world (The Independent 10/29/09)