After Bin Laden: Pakistan’s cooperation?

The official line from Secretary of State Clinton is that we owe a debt of gratitude to Pakistan, our nominal ally, for its cooperation in the raid on the Bin Laden compound. What that “cooperation” really amounted to, remains to be seen. But this report from Dexter Filkins at The New Yorker suggests the contours of our actual relationship with Pakistan:

initial indications are that Pakistani military and intelligence officials may have provided some routine coöperation with the Americans but were not given the identity of the target. This makes sense: In recent months, American officials have stopped informing Pakistani officials ahead of time about the C.I.A.’s drone strikes against militants in the tribal areas, out of fear that they might be tipped off. (emphasis added)

That fear is well founded. Pakistani forces have in the past tipped off and given shelter to Islamist fighters.

Bin Laden’s compound was well within the borders of Pakistan (rather than in the lawless borderlands), less than a mile from a military base. Its unusual size and build make it stand out. . . . Maybe the regime had no knowledge of it (doubtful). Or, perhaps, as the evidence suggests, this news provides added reason to question whether Pakistan is an ally.

Read more at The Ayn Rand Center