The Enemy of My Enemy ... is My Friend?
In the way that NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistan sometimes speak of "good" Taleban and "bad" Taleban; one set to be supported, the other set to be opposed, you have in and amongst them, a new regional emergence - the Lashkars. Today they are "good", because they are pitted against Taleban forces.
The Lashkars may have their point, but they are armed, angry and they are dangerous and operate outside the realm of the state but claiming that they are there to restore order. I shouldn't even have to explain the connection between vigilantism and mob 'law'. Tribal militias may occupy a kind of popular romanticism in the minds of those suspicious of the the Taleban, but however we look at it the fact that militias exist at all points squarely at the failure of the state to be able to protect its people in the first place.
When a frustrated mob takes over, unless they organise themselves quickly, they remain just that - a frustrated mob. Pakistan continues with a dangerous policy that may come back and hurt. The enemy of my enemy might not necessarily be my friend either.
In the way that NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistan sometimes speak of "good" Taleban and "bad" Taleban; one set to be supported, the other set to be opposed, you have in and amongst them, a new regional emergence - the Lashkars. Today they are "good", because they are pitted against Taleban forces.
The Lashkars may have their point, but they are armed, angry and they are dangerous and operate outside the realm of the state but claiming that they are there to restore order. I shouldn't even have to explain the connection between vigilantism and mob 'law'. Tribal militias may occupy a kind of popular romanticism in the minds of those suspicious of the the Taleban, but however we look at it the fact that militias exist at all points squarely at the failure of the state to be able to protect its people in the first place.
When a frustrated mob takes over, unless they organise themselves quickly, they remain just that - a frustrated mob. Pakistan continues with a dangerous policy that may come back and hurt. The enemy of my enemy might not necessarily be my friend either.
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