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Feb. 28, 2019 - Steve Pieczenik

05:10

OPUS 128 Line of Control RAW

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	Hi, this is Dr.
	Pchenik and today I'd like to talk about the Line of Control.
	That was written by the Op Center book series in 2001 by myself and Jeff Rovin.
	But today I want to talk about it in a more serious fashion.
	The line of control is the line that goes through Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
	Why is that important?
	Because India and Pakistan are at war again.
	The problem is we have two nuclear powers, and once they go to war, which has been going on since 1948, we will have a serious nuclear crisis.
	And unfortunately, I don't think our government is prepared for it.
	Because I do not think the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is qualified to handle such a serious problem.
	Let me get into detail.
	1948, India and Pakistan broke away.
	Pakistan had 300 million Muslims.
	India had 1.3 billion Hindus.
	Since that point of time, there's always been conflict between the two countries over a country in between called Kashmir, which is two thirds controlled by India, one third by Pakistan.
	1971, India and Pakistan went to conventional warfare and Pakistan lost again.
	It was divided into two countries, Pakistan and part of Pakistan East was made Bangladesh.
	Then in 2008, Pakistan went into trouble again and went into Mumbai.
	And killed about 150 people in India.
	Now, what's the problem with Pakistan?
	Pakistan is really a failed state.
	That means there are very few institutions.
	I do not say that with denigration.
	I know the general in charge of Pakistan, Yahub Kam, who I admired.
	Ijaz Galani, the head of Islamic Brotherhood, was with me at MIT. However, it is a failed state that has been funded by Saudi Arabia, and it is completely dominated by Sunnis.
	It is also dominated by the ISI, the Inner Service Intelligence Service, which funds and sponsors terrorism in Afghanistan, in India, and Iran.
	What happened a couple of weeks ago?
	Pakistan funded a group that killed Several hundred Iranian Revolutionary Guards in southern Iran.
	That was a very serious problem.
	We didn't do anything about it because we're not qualified to do anything about it.
	But Russia and China warned Pakistan to be careful.
	Instead, Pakistan again went in and killed 40 paramilitary Indian officers a week ago.
	And in turn, India flew its jets into Pakistan for retaliation.
	Modi, the head of India, does not want a war.
	The generals in charge of Pakistan have said nothing.
	The problem with Pakistan as a failed state is that it's funded by Saudi Arabia, who funds it to the billions of dollars.
	So it acts as a surrogate for Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.
	And in turn, the Israelis help the Saudis.
	And so what we have here is an unholy alliance What am I really saying?
	What I'm saying is that we do not have the qualifications to deconflict this area.
	Mike Pompeo Who I thought was capable of handling international affairs.
	He really did not do a good job.
	I thought President Trump did a brilliant job in North Korea, but Pompeo should have a treaty already signed for the president.
	That's inexcusable.
	In turn, I tried to figure out why Pompeo had failed.
	I looked at the background.
	I thought he was number one at Harvard.
	Number one in West Point.
	And it turned out he was.
	But it turned out also he's a fan of the Heritage Foundation, Frank Gaffney and Richard Perle.
	So he doesn't have any intellectual gravitas to really understand how to do strategy, tactics, and political psychology.
	That's a failure of the system.
	They promote people from within who are neoconservatives.
	I've said this to Trump before.
	If you have John Bolton, you have a neoconservative.
	You have Elliott Abrams.
	You have Zalmay Khalazad.
	And you have many others who have created wars in Iraq and do not understand how to deconflict major wars like India and Pakistan.
	What in fact will happen?
	If it goes to a nuclear war, which it can very easily go, China and Russia will have to step in.
	China can control Pakistan.
	Russia can control India.
	In turn, what we really have here is a problem in which Mike Pompeo has to resign.
	We need a new Secretary of State who understands South Asia, who understands North Korea, and an American capacity that's filled with psychological insights.
	Let me quote Hanfei, H-A-N-F-E-I, a philosopher from China in 233 B.C. who said the following, To be a tough, brilliant leader, one must often create theories and laws that are opposing the worldviews.
	Dr.

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