Pakistan's big idea for keeping the Taliban out - a fence
Yes, really. A fence.
"Pakistan's foreign minister has said he seeks European support for his country's plan to fence part of its border with Afghanistan to prevent Taliban fighters from crossing....Musharraf said Pakistan had begun preparations to fence seven or eight locations along its northwest border, stretching 35km. Kasuri said plans to mine the border as well as fence it were abandoned by the government "as a mark of respect to the sensitivity of our European colleagues". Source.
If memory serves, the history of rather more imposing barriers (Maginot Line, anyone?) in keeping out the bad guys has not been good, so this sounds like a waste of good timber and barbed wire.
"Pakistan's foreign minister has said he seeks European support for his country's plan to fence part of its border with Afghanistan to prevent Taliban fighters from crossing....Musharraf said Pakistan had begun preparations to fence seven or eight locations along its northwest border, stretching 35km. Kasuri said plans to mine the border as well as fence it were abandoned by the government "as a mark of respect to the sensitivity of our European colleagues". Source.
If memory serves, the history of rather more imposing barriers (Maginot Line, anyone?) in keeping out the bad guys has not been good, so this sounds like a waste of good timber and barbed wire.
Labels: South Asia, war on terror
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on Friday, February 09, 2007 at 5:16 pm.
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Reading this posting, I can't help but thinking of this:
"We're going to hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line. Have you any dirty washing, mother dear?
"We're gonna hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line. 'Cause the washing day is here.
"Whether the weather may be wet or fine. We'll just rub along without a care.
"We're going to hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line if the Siegfried Line's still there."
Oh dear. Does my age look large in this?
To my recollection, the bulk of the bad guys went through Belgium to avoid the Maginot line.
The Berlin wall, the iron curtain of the Warsaw Pact and the new Israeli fence indicate that fences sometimes appear to work.
The Great Wall of China worked for many centuries; only ever really beaten by the Mongols.
Hadrian's wall? Quite effective.
On the other hand, what is suggested here is a fence? I mean ffs, when has a fence been used to stop anything other than escaping farm animals.
Even Steve McQueen could overcome a fence....
What do mean, 'even' Steve McQueen?
It does indeed depend on how solid one's barrier is and how well manned. I wonder if the Pakistanis will creosote it.
The Steve McQueen reference is about one of the final scenes in "The Great Escape"
Colin
You are, of course, correct. The Israeli wall has successfully stopped
homicide bombings.
JJ - I got the McQueen reference, and as he was fine actor I was taking issue at 'even'.
Agreed, the security barrier in Israel has been quite a success, and I'm afraid I just do not have enough spare blood for my heart to do any bleeding for the law abiding Arabs inconvenienced by it.
I'm afraid I just do not have enough spare blood for my heart to do any bleeding for the law abiding Arabs inconvenienced by it.
I'm afraid I fell asleep reading the above sentence, such is my urgent concern for inconvenienced Arabs.
Seriously, if one cannot station a border guard every 20 feet or so, how does one keep others out?
The Americans, who have taken over our mantle as the world's most ingenious people, are planning to keep illegal Mexicans out by, uh, building a fence.
Seriously, what else can one do?
The American border patrol also has helicopters and all manner of electronic equipment, but they get in anyway. I once saw a infrared photo taken of the Mexican side of the Rio Grande (which is a huge river - very, very wide) and there possibly a hundred Mexicans lolling on the banks, smoking, waiting for pitch dark, when they would swim across. Some of them would get caught and sent back. Some of them would get through.
The border patrol doesn't shoot them, even to wound, because Mexico is a neighbour and because there is sympathy with people taking great risks to better themselves (as the original American pioneers did). They catch as many as they can and send them back. The onces that get sent back wait for the following night to try their luck again.
Now, I believe, they've started loading them on buses and driving them a very long way into Mexico. But they still manage to comeback. It's a funny old situation.
I find American humanity very touching. On the other hand, I think we should shoot the illegals that worm their way into our tiny, monocultural country. At least they're easy to spot. (Britain would fit into the state of Texas 3 1/4 times.)
Pakistani fencers need jobs too.
Pakistani fencers need jobs too. In that case, perhaps we could send some contributions for lots of fences to be built in the hope that that would keep them at home.
I read that a 40-year old man has married a girl of four in elegant, civilised Pakistan.
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