The military campaign undertaken in southern Waziristan by the Pakistan army is a necessary measure. The elites have found that their social legitimacy has been undermined by the depredations of the Taliban, feeding upon a pre-revolutionary situation amongst the rural dispossessed. The link-up between the Waziristan cohorts and Punjabi elements was proved by the series of suicide bombings over the last fortnight.
The success or failure of this campaign is linked to the continual presence of NATO in Afghanistan. If the Pakistani elites prove incapable of defeating this insurgency in the tribal areas and overcoming radicalism in the heartlands of Punjab and the Sindh, then their country will shift to a new level of instability. Eric Margolies, in an op-ed, states that the actions of the United States have proved counter-productive in welding the military and the political elites. Some inaccurate reporting on US attempts to gain control of the Pakistan military is followed by speculation on a military coup.
Margolies is too certain for this uncertain environment, though he is one of the few to recognise the hugle level of anti-american sentiment in the country. The aid bill is not necessarily a channel for US control, though it is an obvious and overt conduit of influence. It exerts civilian control over the military and has led to disruption. Yet, the mishandling of Pakistan's internal affairs could prove disastrous for NATO.