Black Chinook

In his 1996 memoir, From the Shadows, Gates wrote, "I was, during the remarkable events from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, there in the shadows, the proverbial fly on the wall in the most secret councils of government, listening, watching, observing many of the greatest events of the century." The U.S. he brings with him nearly four decades of intelligence and security experience through the cold war to the current confrontation with Islamic jiahdist groups. The U.S. special-ops community fondly refers to Robert Gates as the Black Chinook-which lands at night, takes care of business and gets out.

During his visit to India, prior to his trip to Pakistan, Gates was categorical when he stressed that "After the Mumbai attacks, India had responded with great restraint and statesmanship. But if there is a repeat of 26/11, it would not be unreasonable to assume that India's patience will be limited". This particular statement of Robert Gates was much to the chagrin of Pakistan and contrary to the fact that New Delhi was anything but tolerant and restrained following 26/11. It became belligerent and jingoistic. Its Armed Forces were rearing to have a go at Pakistan. Its defence planners were contemplating the use of surgical strikes to take out specific targets, reportedly, the terrorist training camps alleged to be in Pakistan. Israeli news source, DEBKAfile of December 4, 2008, disclosed that New Delhi had asked Jerusalem to assist in the operational and intelligence planning of Indian commando cross-border strikes against Islamist terrorist havens in Pakistan-including al Qaeda. The report informed that besides the Indian government's decision to embark on these in-and-out incursions in reprisal for the Mumbai outrage, "Israel is willing to help the Indians carry out punitive forays into Pakistan because it has its own scores to settle for the brutal murder of six Israelis in Mumbai's Chabad Center by the Islamist terrorists and for the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency's hand in the atrocity." According to DEBKAfile, Indian leaders showed the outline of this plan to U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice a week later. She commented guardedly that the United States was strongly opposed to a full-scale war between India and Pakistan but not averse to limited counter-terror operations.

Emboldened, Indian Air Force fighter aircraft violated Pakistani airspace and were intercepted. When their gun-camera cine within shooting range of the PAF interceptors was released and the instant preparedness of Pakistan's Armed Forces was made known, it took the wind from Indian sails. So much for Indian "restraint and statesmanship"! Moreover, reiterating that a repeat of 26/11 can lead India to retaliate against Pakistan, is leading India on. Gates is being oblivious of Indian malice and malevolence, which is fully capable of stage-managing another attack on its soil, lay the blame squarely on Pakistan and launch an attack on its erstwhile western neighbour and rival. No wonder Time magazine has labeled Robert Gates as "Man of war". It's not that Gates has been wrong before. Although he gained the reputation of a Cold War hawk, an intelligence analyst who saw the Soviet Union as an implacable and evil adversary, yet during the Reagan Administration, he sided with hard-liners who misread the Soviets. He failed to recognize that Mikhail Gorbachev was a true reformer. He didn't believe that Soviet power was collapsing. "He said the Soviets would never leave Afghanistan. They did. He said [former Afghan President] Najibullah would never survive the Soviet departure. He was totally wrong. Najibullah survived three or four years," recalls Mort Abramowitz, who was Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research at the time. Mr. Gates had to pay dearly for his omissions of judgment. Four years later, while serving as Deputy National Security Adviser under President George W. Bush, Gates was nominated again to be DCI. It resulted in one of the longest and most bitter confirmation hearings in Senate records. CIA co-workers from the Soviet desk excoriated his character, his motives, and his honesty.

Former Pakistani Army Chief, General Mirza Aslam Beg, in his Op-Ed ‘Robert Gates' threat of war' stresses that the U.S. Defence Secretary, as well as the Indian military planners, while taking into cognizance the existing military balance between Pakistan and India, must also consider the new phenomenon of the Asymmetric War, which, during the last thirty years, has established the supremacy of Men and Missiles, over the most modern and technologically superior armed forces of the world, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Kashmir. The Asymmetric War, in essence is the name of the Islamic Resistance, with its hardcore resting along the Durand Line. It is our strength. Thus conventional as well as irregular armed forces together provide the emerging shape of the Fourth Generation of modern warfare.
During his visit to Islamabad on January 22, Robert Gates addressed the officers of the National Defence University and frankly admitted that the U.S. made a "grave mistake" by cutting defense ties with Pakistan in the early 1990s and losing interest in the region after the Soviet Union left Afghanistan. Now Mr. Gates has accepted General McChrystal's recommendation to negotiate with the Taliban to end the fighting. Robert Gates would be advised that if negotiation with the Taliban is to be opted for, then there should be no favorites. Already UN sanctions against five Taliban leaders have been lifted ignoring others. Gates can rise to the occasion by authorizing talks with the Taliban leaders across the board, irrespective of who was earlier sponsored by Pakistan, or India or Britain or the CIA. History has presented him a unique opportunity to be remembered as a "Man of Peace" rather than "Man of War". Let us hope Mr. Gates has the epoch-making sense to cut the Gordian knot of unraveling the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq peacefully.

S. M. Hali is a film producer and a practicing journalist. He has contributed over 2000 articles, produced 125 documentaries and hosts a TV talk show. He is currently based in Islamabad.

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