The deal undone explores the strenuous relationship between the Pakistan – US military establishments. The documentary analyzes a specific period in the history of this relationship during the, following the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.
From the heights of friendship during the early years of the war on terror to the falling out with the passage of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Act in 2009, are episodes explored in great detail in ‘THE DEAL UNDONE’.
This documentary project is an MA Politics thesis by Ali Mustafa at Columbia University, ‘The Deal Undone: Pakistan, Its Army and the Americans’, ended up with over forty hours of interviews from key players directly involved in the Pakistan-US dynamic, both in Islamabad and Washington.
These include Ambassador(s) Hussain Haqqani, Maleeha Lodhi, Wendy Chamberlain as well as Michele’ Flournoy (currently at Defense) and James Rubin (formerly of the State Department).
In addition the documentary also incorporated views from academics such as Hassan Abbas of Columbia and Shuja Nawaz of the Atlantic council (also an adviser to the project) and key PPP lobbyist and Benazir Bhutto loyalist Mark Seigel (representing the PPP-Zardari government and family).
The 30 minute documentary casts a grim future for the US-Pakistan military relationship.
A demise that has genesis in the deal undone, following the 9/11 attacks.
Comments
10 responses to “The Deal Undone: Pakistan, its Army and the Americans”
What a hack-job on the Pakistani Army. The way Ali Mustafa has deliberately dropped the ball on issues where the US could have been taken to task, should tell you plenty on what kind of an agenda is at hand here.
The way he has tried to spin the Kerry-Lugar Bill is just unconscionable. The US were trying to get the ISI under their thumb! they wanted a say in the promotion process in the Pakistani Army! They retained the right to turn off the spigot, based on their perception of whether Pakistan was doing enough for the US.
And Ali Mustafa, apparently, has no problems with it. Our own (is he really ?) US ambassador (shame on him) has no problems with being be-ghairat. They would sell the whole country, if they had their way.
A really pathetic, sickening at times, spoof-of-a-documentary from a bona fide airhead (I thought so when he was doing a stint of reading the news on DAWN a few years ago), who doesn't seem to have lost any love for his country, nor gained a modicum of objectivity at Columbia.
Good documentary but little hard to understand the host by avearage person like me. Although one thing is certain Pakistani leadership have been "Baygayrat", are "Baygayrat" and will be "Baygayrat" and there is no end in sight to this "Baygayrati" though many might call this Baygayrati the part of survival and would like to change the "Baygayrat" with "Survivalist". But I would suggest that the survival by the survivalist is at the expense of average majority of Pakistan.
The way in which our security forces "solved" the Raymond Davis case clearly denies the notion that deal has been undone.
I think the Pak agencies believed, with good reason, that they had snagged a really big US fish, with Raymond Davis. He must have been something of a catch, for whom the US president, Sec. of State Clinton, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Comm. Kerry and so on, would come out in public and l-i-e about his diplomatic status.
Our agencies must have worked out a solid deal, while they had their big fish, sitting and sweating, in Kot Lakhpat.
Now, it's the USA's turn to eat a little humble pie and step-back from their aggressive posturing, just like the ISI/Army/Provincial/Federal Govt of Pakistan had to do, vis a vis the Raymond Davis case.
If you look at it, if it all goes according to plan, the Pak intelligence agencies will have gotten rid of hundreds of potential Raymond Davis' by letting one go (they should never have been here in the first place, if this impotent Govt of ours hadn't stamped their passports).
A high price, but just might save a lot more lives, down the line.
Summary
The story of a transactional relationship of mutual respect between a man (US) and his prostitute (Pakistani Army and People) and their changing pimps (Pakistan Generals & Civilian Leadership).
End of story
Skeptic:
Were you born in a brothel? You could come up with a more reasonable summary, but your thoughts can never escape the walls of the confines you belong to!
I think the comments of skeptic is more precise and comprehensive and just right about the Pakistan's shitty and fishy state affairs.
@Anonymous
I thought that would be clear from the summary. Pakistan is definitely a brothel NOW and so I guess all Pakistani born in the last few years are born is a brothel. I was definitely born in a place which has now become a brothel though. It probably was a brothel before but I am not sure of that.
You are correct my mind cannot escape the confines of a brothel. How can it with Pimps Zardari, Gillani, Kayani, Nawaz Sharif pimping the entire nation and its army. It may be acceptable for others to be willing prostitutes, but I don't think its a good idea.
Hmmmm. Very thoughtful analysis going on here. lol.
US out of Pakistan NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!