CIA chief says Pakistan poses strategic, tactical challenges to policy makers

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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) identified Pakistan as one of the countries that poses strategic and tactical challenges to policy makers.

“Developments in a host of countries across the globe are raising strategic and tactical challenges for policymakers and our Agency,” CIA director John Brennan said, referring to countries like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, North Korea and Pakistan.

“In addition to monitoring developments in these hotspots, our analysts track overall trends in global stability,” Brennan said in rare public remarks by a CIA director, in which he spoke about the terror attack on a Peshawar school last year.

“In December, gunmen in Pakistan opened fire on school children in an attack that, even by the appalling standards of the Pakistani Taliban, was shocking in its moral depravity,” he said, referring to the attack that left 153 people dead, mostly students.

These attacks underscore a disturbing trend that we have been monitoring for some time – the emergence of a terrorist threat that is increasingly decentralised, difficult to track, and difficult to thwart, the top American spymaster added.

Brennan said developments last year continued a three-year trend of rising instability marked by severe conflict and the erosion of state capacity worldwide.

“We saw more outbreaks of instability than at any point since just after the collapse of the Soviet Union, matching the rate we saw during the period of decolonisation in the 1960s,” he said in his remarks before the Council on Foreign Relations.

“The implications of this trend are well known to this audience. Rising instability leads to a growth in ungoverned spaces; a spike in humanitarian crises; a surge of refugees, weapons, and fighters across borders; and an emphasis on security over democratic principles among conflict-weary publics,” he added.

“As CIA tackles these challenges, we benefit greatly from the network of relationships we maintain with intelligence services throughout the world. This is a critically important and lesser-known aspect of our efforts,” he said.

Brennan stressed on building relationship with intelligence agencies of other countries. “To be sure, if we are to work with a broad range of services around the globe, we must also focus on enhancing professionalism and commitment to the ethics of intelligence,” he said.

“With CIA’s support, I have seen counterparts develop into sophisticated and effective partners. Over time, our engagement with partner services fosters a deeper, more candid give-and-take, a more robust exchange of information and assessments, and a better understanding of the world that often ultimately encourages better alignment on policy,” he added.

2 COMMENTS

  1. "Developments in a host of countries across the globe, like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, North Korea and Pakistan, are raising strategic and tactical challenges for policymakers and our Agency, " said the United States CIA director John Brennan.

    Of course what the man did not say was that excluding Yemen and North Korea, the developments in all the remaining countries were the direct result of conspiracies, interventions and invasions by the United States. Also, the developments in Yemen have been brought about through change in the neighbouring countries caused by US invasion and destruction of Iraq on fabricated grounds, while challenge posed by North Korea is the direct result of US pampering of South Korea.

    It is quite common for the US leaders and officials to blame others for the problems which in fact are the direct result of US ambition of controlling and dominating the world and conspiracies hatched by them in pursuit of these wild ambitions. As for Middle East, US policy's basic object is to weaken and destabilize Muslims states by attacking them or intervening in them, in order to make Israel stronger than ever before, with no one around to challenge Israeli leaders. This of course is to discharge the 'moral obligation' to Israel and pro-Israel lobbies who arrange and finance the election campaigns of most of the prospective lawmakers in the US. As such, virtually all the US leaders right up to the level of President, Congressmen and Senators operate from inside the pocket of Israeli Prime Minister.

    The real problem for the US government officials is to free themselves from the captivity of Israel in order to put them in a position where they are free to form independent policies that best serve the interests of US state and citizens and contribute to peace and goodwill around the globe. And until the time they do that, they will continue facing strategic and tactical challenges around the globe which are basically the result of their own folly but for which they choose to blame other countries.

    Karachi

    • Good post Mr Hashmi surprised Pakistan Today actually allowed you well written comment, word of friendly advise to the CIA chief would be not to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries this way you will not face any challenges or frustrations!!!!!

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