Pakistan's long game
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 1 February 2022
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Owen Bennett-Jones examines how the government in Tehran outwitted the United States in Iraq, which resulted in Tehran having more influence in Baghdad than Washington. He also examines how Islamabad pulled off much the same trick in relation to Afghanistan. But whilst Iran was under US sanctions, Pakistan secured its objectives in Afghanistan whilst simultaneously receiving billions of dollars worth of US aid. As one retired Pakistan intelligence chief bragged – the US was helping secure its own defeat.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the documentary on the BBC World Service. |
| 0:03.4 | I'm Owen Bennett Jones with Pakistan's Long Game. |
| 0:07.0 | Chaos and panic at Kabul International Airport |
| 0:11.0 | as thousands of Afghans try to flee the conquering Taliban army. |
| 0:16.0 | Last August, the Afghan Taliban were victorious |
| 0:19.0 | after two decades of hard fought conflict. |
| 0:23.0 | Taliban members firing in the air to assert their authority |
| 0:27.0 | trying to keep control. |
| 0:30.0 | And for the US it ended as it had in Vietnam |
| 0:33.0 | with a humiliating flight. |
| 0:35.0 | In Saigon, overlaid and US helicopters |
| 0:38.0 | heaved above the embassy roof |
| 0:40.0 | evacuating the last US officials. |
| 0:43.0 | In Kabul, young men crashed to their deaths |
| 0:46.0 | having clung to and fallen from departing US planes. |
| 0:50.0 | All this raises a question. |
| 0:52.0 | Given Vietnam, how come the US couldn't see |
| 0:56.0 | how Afghanistan would end? |
| 1:00.0 | One answer can be found here in Pakistan. |
| 1:03.0 | I mean the capital is Lama Bad and 20 years ago |
| 1:07.0 | I had an encounter with General Hamid Ghul here. |
| 1:10.0 | He used to run Pakistan's intelligence agency, |
... |
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