# Will there be a war? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 6, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998 "2011-05-06T19:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YaraMateo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/58f4c7/32.png) [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/1 "2011-05-06T19:24:13Z")
So, all thw question du jour seems to be did Pakistan know OBL was there. It can be argued (even if it’s not true), they were hiding him. Sounds like reason for a war. So, will the US go to war with Pakistan? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/2 "2011-05-06T19:28:54Z")
No there won’t be a war with Pakistan. What would a war accomplish? What would be our war aims? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/3 "2011-05-06T19:30:44Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/4 "2011-05-06T19:30:54Z")
No. Between Iraq and Afghanistan, we’re already stretched dangerously thin with various military commitments… About Pakistan, I say fuck 'em; cut them off from our foreign aid teet, and Obama should do Zardari the way Michael Corleone did Fredo in Cuba. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/5 "2011-05-06T19:32:08Z")
You don’t fight wars with nuclear powers. Not unless they threaten you or your allies with nuclear attack. Pakistan doesn’t need a delivery system capable of nuking the US to do a _lot_ of regional damage. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/6 "2011-05-06T19:34:49Z")
Not a chance. There’s a reason the Obama administration has been emphasizing that Pakistan is a partner. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/7 "2011-05-06T19:38:28Z")
Well, since no one else wants to step up and admit it, I will…there will be no war with Pakistan. 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/8 "2011-05-06T19:43:04Z")
Shouldn’t this be in GQ, since there is a factual answer? A war would let the Islamists take over and get hold of the weapons. Not to mention that Pakistan has lots and lots of people. Not to mention that any call for war would come from the right, and a war would be very expensive either increasing the deficit or forcing us to raise taxes on the rich. And no revenge is worth that! ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/9 "2011-05-06T19:44:20Z")
> [@YaraMateo](#): > > So, all thw question du jour seems to be did Pakistan know OBL was there. It can be argued (even if it’s not true), they were hiding him. Sounds like reason for a war. So, will the US go to war with Pakistan? IIRC, Obama has been saying since the election campaign that he’d go after the enemies with or without Pakistan’s help - even in Pakistan. I think he got a lot of flak for that from McCain. It’s been clear for a long time the Pakistanis aren’t America’s best ally, but there’s nothing to gain from an all-out war. Just so you know, countries aren’t obliged to help each other. I would imagine both sides are right now pretending nothing is seriously wrong now so they can get safe face and keep getting whatever they feel is useful from each other. Certainly, if any country has a serious reason to declare war it’s Pakistan; hiding an enemy (if that’s even true) might be bad, but running a military campaign inside a sovereign nation’s borders without permission is **actually** a solid reason for war. The fact that the Pakistanis aren’t willing to go that far means that there won’t be war. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-be-a-war/580998/10 "2011-05-06T19:52:25Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > No there won’t be a war with Pakistan. What would a war accomplish? What would be our war aims? The only reason we’d get involved in a war with or in Pakistan would be to prevent their nuclear arsenal from falling into [del]the wrong[/del] even worse hands.