Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

[John]

http://www.kansascity.com/437/story/1175887.html

The situation in Pakistan gets measurably worse almost every week. Pakistan is
dissolving before our eyes.

John

[Marshall Kane]

This is more frightening then the approach of Taliban forces:

Pakistan's government is completing two new nuclear reactors to produce plutonium for weapons that would be smaller, lighter and more efficient than the 60-odd highly enriched uranium-fueled warheads that Pakistan is now thought to possess, the officials and experts said

Why would they be doing this?? They already have their nuclear deterrent with respect to India. Could this mean that the Islamists have already significantly infiltrated the nuclear program?

Also, I pray that the administration does not actually believe the rosy picture its presenting for the public.

I was just reading John Bolton's take on this crisis, and it doesn't look good: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124121967978578985.html

[gerald]

Yes, this is very disturbing situation, but interesting from the perspective of ancient history.
The Rama Empire existed many thousands of years ago in that part of the world.

One of it's ancient cities was Mohenjo -daro located in the Sind Province of Pakistan.
It was discovered and excavated in the early 20th century. During it's excavation it was discovered that some of the brick walls were vitrified, pottery melted, and some of the humans skeletons were very radioactive. The destruction of Mohenjo-daro is supposedly described in the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. Even considering the debate regarding it's translation, it is interesting.

…a single projectile charged with all the power of the Universe. An incandescent column of smoke and flame, as bright as the light of a thousand suns, rose in all its splendor…a perpendicular explosion with its billowing smoke clouds…
…the cloud of smoke rising after its first explosion formed into expanding round circles like the opening of a giant mushroom…
It was an unknown weapon, an iron thunderbolt, a gigantic messenger of death, which reduced to ashes the entire race of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas…the corpses were so burned as to be unrecognizable.

This appears to be a description of an atomic blast.

Is this part of a recurring theme?

Gerald

[protagonist]

Yeah, I think the ancient atomic bomb theory is pretty plausible. We can only speculate as to the causes of ancient events.

On topic - it's just a matter of time before the Taliban gains total control of Pakistan along with its military forces. The U.S can do nothing but sit back and watch as its forces get slaughtered.

[gerald]

Oh, this is just great, lets see, 1,500,000 people with poor sanitation, food problems, etc. and a possible flue pandemic.
Prior history indicates this is good for the spreading of cholera , typhoid , plague, etc. People in stress are more susceptible to disease, my grandfather almost died in the pandemic of 1918, because of overwork. Just wonderful. Lets keep it contained.

[protagonist]

The US is faced with 2 options. Either to attack Pakistan, or face the nuclear destruction of its forces in Afghanistan.

[Samir]

Just some interesting news I saw on the Yahoo page while i was checking my E-mail:

Villagers fight Taliban after Pakistan mosque blast

[John]

Just some interesting news I saw on the Yahoo page while i was checking my E-mail:

Villagers fight Taliban after Pakistan mosque blast
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_pakistan_violence

That's an interesting development, because it represents Pashtun
vs Pashtun violence.

John

[Amon]

The major ethnic groups that Pakistan shares with India and
Afghanistan are shown by this map:

I wish that map had a better quality to it.

The reason being is that I'm trying to figure out where the latest bombing, against the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar, fits into this, and I'm the kind of person who's afraid to have to ask for assistance.

[Centuron]

Hopefully this is better quality. Peshawar is the next city east of Kabul Afghanistan, near the middle-top of the border of the Pashtun and Punjabi areas. Hope that helps.