AMANPOUR: With Osama bin Laden dead and gone now, President Obama
will reach out to the Muslim world in another speech on Thursday. He
will address the democratic uprising sweeping the Middle East where a
heady atmosphere is being tempered by violent oppression.
In Syria, security forces on Friday again fired on large
demonstrations calling for an end of the regime of President Bashar
al-Assad. The death toll is now well over a thousand, with thousands
more under arrest.
Mass arrests also continue in Bahrain, a key American ally. And
human rights groups urging the United States to break its silence on the
brutal government crackdown.
And in Libya, civil war rages and Moammar Gadhafi continues to stay
in power under that NATO no-fly zone.
And Egypt, which overthrew its president in February, is now at a
fork in the road, facing change and reform for chaos and instability.
So, how will the president address all of this upheaval? With me
now, Robert Kagan of the Brookings Institution, Richard Haass, president
of the Council on Foreign Relations, and in Beirut, Lebanon, Anthony
Shadid of The New York Times.
Thank you for being here.
Let's first actually get to Pakistan and what is a very tense time
in this key relationship. Senator Kerry has gone over there, Richard.
He's carrying apparently messages from the administration. What is the
best he can do now?
RICHARD HAASS, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: The best he can do is
introduce a degree of partnership between United States and Pakistan.
The problem is we're not partners. Pakistan provides sanctuary to the
Afghan Taliban who are killing our Americans, they provide sanctuary to
terrorists who are also killing Americans.
What we have to do is try to put this relationship on a more
conditional footing, essentially say we'll give you economic aid if it
promotes democracy. Any military aid will only be given if we know how
it is used.
I'm not sure how this will work. Not every problem has a solution.
And It may be the Pakistanis will reject it or they may once again agree
and then they'll continue doing what they've always done.
AMANPOUR: And we've seen, Robert, so many stories now, reports of
the sort of regular, specific warnings that the United States has given
Pakistan with various high-level officials. Is there -- obviously the
U.S. needs Pakistan, still, doesn't it? I mean, it's not like it's a
relationship that can just be cast asunder?
ROBERT KAGAN, BROOKINGS INSTITUTE: Well, I think we should try to
need it less. I think we should try to develop as many alternative
routes for supplying our forces in Afghanistan as possible, that's the
big dependency. And I think quite honestly if you want to get the
Pakistani's attention, you have to deal with one issue that frightens
them most which is India. I think if it became clear that the United
States was really fed up with Pakistan and willing to tilt toward India
in ways the Pakistanis would find troubling, for instance, talking to
India about
Afghanistan.
The Indian was love to be involved in Afghanistan. It's the
Pakistanis greatest fear. I think you have to start talking about
things the Pakistanis care about. They don't really care if we cut off
their aid. They're a little bit willing to commit suicide in order to
not do what we want them to do. I think we need some other leverage.
AMANPOUR: Do you think Hillary Clinton should go there?
HAASS: I would only go with a tough message that say, we will work