LONDON ¨C Why do allies sometimes pretend to believe one another¡¯s lies? There are good reasons and bad, as new evidence about the U.S. relationship with Pakistan demonstrates.
Throughout its ¡°war on terrorism,¡± the United States has had to rely on Pakistan. Though Washington may occasionally have believed its trust was abused, the Pentagon¡¯s need for overflight rights or landing bases, crucial for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East, trumped diplomatic niceties.
The American people may wonder if this trumped self-respect as well. Seasoned investigative reporter Seymour Hersh recently wrote about Pakistan¡¯s possibly problematic role in the U.S. capture of Osama bin Laden for the London Review of Books.
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