That's interesting. I wonder how the US ever got entangled with Yemen, anyway. Could it be, just could it be, that Yemen was dragged in by the US' wonderful ally, UQ, to extract UQ from whatever mess was created in Aden?
Yes, the USS Cole was attacked in Aden harbour, but was that before or after said dragging?
(Yes, Johann, I know, but can I resist posting this once it has occurred to me?)
I can't recall Yemen ever being on the US threat horizon any more than, say, Turkmenistan or Azerbaijan was. In fact, less.
Anyway, my question about "why was 9/11 approved when it was approved?" remains. Two situations come to mind:
1. The Taliban was under UN sanctions and hurting.
2. The TSP was on the verge of collapse.
Which was the trigger? If it was #2, then of course one can reason that the US is cowed down, having learned lesson, and is trying not to make same mistake again, by giving Protection Money to TSP.
Ha! Likely indeed!
The other implication of #2 is that TSP is squarely behind 9/11 and hence should be converted to ParkingLotStan.
Now if its because of #1 (Taliban was hurting) well... The Taliban is history. Why should the US tolerate any foot-dragging from TSP? I would expect the US to kick Opinions in TSP and get them to move faster to rout out the remnants of the Taliban.
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Now my sleep-deprived brain wanders off in another direction - Oh! Here it is:
In Thrissur, there is a legend of the Naraanath Bhranthan (that means: the Loonie from the House of Narayanan, I suppose) I am keenly aware of this, having gone to school for several years in Thrissur and being reminded of this often whenever my classmates lost arguments or their wickets to me. :o
One of the legends is that the NB used to roll rocks up the biggest hill in town, just for the pleasure of watching them roll down again.
Sounds like me trying to explain Nook-Nood Certainty to sunil here.
The other legend is more relevant here:
There used to be this horrible jungle there (I think its a story to scare us 4-year-olds) behind the big temple, and anyone who was unfortunate enough to have been caught outside the temple doors, by accident or design ( the temple has a very large, very high-walled perimeter) after they closed at nightfall, was dead - because the fierce tigers, lions, wolves, bears, walruses, hippopotamii etc, would come eat them.
Well, NB apparently p.o.'ed someone (must have got him out LBW for 0) and being an absent-minded person, was esaily conned and trapped outside the walls at nightfall. As per custom for such things in Thrissur, he was given a plantain-leaf pack of rice as his last meal.
NB sat down and started eating. Being absent-minded, he ate one rice grain per hour. The fierce animals, observing the Geneva Convention and the Laws of Sportsmanship in Eating people called Narayanan etc., did not attack him, since he was eating. Very strong tradition, where I come from - never bother anyone who is eating.
Well, morning came, and NB was very much alive and lived happily ever after, rolling rocks uphill and clapping happily as they rolled back down (on to the Mercedes Benzes of his enemies, hopefully).
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How is this relevant? I think Musharraf is like NB in that he's trying to drag on the US pre-occupation with Eyerak as far as possible. When the US is satisfied with Eyerak, next stop is the Riyadh Parking Lot - then the Islamaintbad Parking Lot.