[GVnana]

Pakistan wants security and assurances. According to him, every Al Qaeda leader picked up in Pakistan was because of CIA-provided information. He said Pakistan wants the United States to stay in Afghanistan and a long-term commitment by Washington to Islamabad, as Pakistan wants to be a long-term ally of the United States. It wants the same deal that the United States is offering India. He emphasised the need of engaging the Pakistani public and giving Pakistan what it wants.

I don't know exactly what the deal is with India, but Karzai desperately wants US bases in Afghanistan and I don't know why we don't make the commitment to it -- except lack of strategic value?

[patriciaruth]

Karzai desperately wants US bases in Afghanistan and I don't know why we don't make the commitment to it -- except lack of strategic value?

No, we know well how valuable a foothold in Asia is in the strategies to deal with the looming threats from China, and Iran, and even North Korea.

We don't "commit" because part of the PR is that we have no long term goals for being in Afghanistan, etc, except ridding the area of terrorists and giving the Afghani people freedom to control their own future.