Shourik,
All valid points. To be clear, I do not believe this will be easy for the US, the West and specifically for Pakistan. If I was not clear, this will be a bloody, protracted battle. And the political accommodations needed to get to the point of fighting a COIN campaign may be unattainable. The point I am trying to make is that the only way to uproot AQ and the Taliban is to directly take the fight to them. Our strategy so far has been fragmented and filled with half measures.
I do not believe there will be instant success from a “hearts and mind” COIN campaign, I believe that may take decades to yield results. After terrible battles.
The ISI is a major power, and this will not be an easy fix. Making the political decision to do this will require leadership, courage and a strong base of support in the military. Bhutto may have the first two, Musharraf may have the last, but I doubt they can work together. Those “purged” from the ISI cannot be allowed to walk free, lest Pakistan be continued to be undermined by them.
This is a subject I am sure we could write a book on….
