The Dangerous Puzzle of Pakistan

On the verge of retirement, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a Senate Committee last week, with Defense Secretary and former CIA Chief Leon Panetta by his side. Mullen testified that "Haqqani operatives planned and conducted" a recent truck bomb attack as well as the assault on our Kabul embassy. Calling the network a "veritable arm of Pakistan's Internal Services Intelligence agency," his comments reflected the long-held belief of US military and intelligence agencies. Already, the US has used drones in northwestern Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden without warning Pakistani officials. Is this the start of something more? Would stepped-up cross-border action help end the war in Afghanistan? Would it destabilize Pakistan, a country with nuclear arms? Could the US just withdraw from Afghanistan and forget about Pakistan?