"Bush Said to Give Orders Allowing Raids in Pakistan" - NY Times

It was made known yesterday that United States military special forces, under the leadership of the CIA, conducted a cross border raid into Pakistan from Afghanistan. In doing so the United States government has compromised the sovereignty of an allied nation.

Pakistan's General Ashfaq Kayani put his comments on the matter in no uncertain terms, saying Pakistan would defend its sovereignty "at all cost."

It is known that Pakistan's border Western border is a base of operations for groups of militants who are destabilizing both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border, however this raid could easily have ignited a firestorm across the region. It will almost certainly be a propaganda victory for insurgent groups, who paint the US as totalitarian world police. Furthermore the United States and the "war on terror" are not even seen favorably by the Pakistani people. The previous President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf was heavily criticized for being a "lapdog" of the United States.

Prof. Altaf Ullah Khan, a Pakistani journalist, sums up the sentiments of the Pakistani people. "These are attacks on militants," said Khan, "but these are also Pakistanis." Khan admits that the militant groups are beyond the control of the Pakistani military, but asserts that aid from and outside force will only make the situation worse. That is not surprising given the recent turmoil within the Pakistani government, which has recently endured the assassination of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the forced resignation of Musharraf (video). The situation bodes especially badly for the new President, Asif Ali Zardari (video), who is now faced with a choice between defying the United States or looking like another "lapdog" President.

Given the history of the current administration, in terms of assuming power to conduct military operations, this situation is not surprising. However, it poses a serious problem for the United States when the situation with Russia and Georgia is taken into consideration. Both situations involve the government of a sovereign democratic nation, thrown into turmoil by dissenting factions and an air of militant revolt. In both of these cases a global power, and permanent UN Security Council member, interceding to unilaterally make sure its political interests are served. This two-faced foreign policy makes it difficult for the United States to take a "Today, we're all Georgians" stance against Russia.