Why the Afghanistan-Pakistan war matters
Lynne O’Donnell
More than a decade ago, during a tense visit to Islamabad as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton gave Pakistan’s leaders a warning: “You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors.” She was referring to the Taliban and other militant groups that Islamabad had long tolerated as part of its “strategic depth” policy aimed at countering India’s regional dominance.
Now, as Pakistan’s jets strike targets inside Afghanistan and the Taliban mobilize forces along the border, that warning seems like a prophecy.
Pakistan is at war with the militant networks it once cultivated for regional power – with consequences that could redraw the region’s security landscape, from Pakistan’s internal stability to the wider balance of power in South Asia.
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