How to appear out of touch with Average Joe. Or Average Yusef.

Build an elevator for your car.

Play dressage. (What is that? I had to google it. Has something to do with horses).

Eat dog.

Criticize a candidate's wife for "not working a day in her life," despite being a stay-at-home mother of five children and diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Republican candidate for president of the United States and wife Ann.

Criticize a candidate's wife for wearing a veil.

Naglaa Aly, wife of FJP candidate for president of Egypt Mohamed Morsi.

How not to win the hearts and minds? Ridicule the people you're trying to win over. 

Drones--And they're back!

There have been various signs over the past week the relationship between the United States and the Pakistan is on the mend.  The resumption of drone attacks is the most evident.  Ten militants were killed near Miramshah in Waziristan on Wednesday after missiles hit their compound.  The next day, AQ/TTP member Badar Mansoor was killed inside Miramshah.  As he was blamed for attacks that killed dozens of Pakistanis, Pakistani officials were most likely happy to see him go and have thus far not spoken out against the strike.

On Tuesday, Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar voiced support for reopening NATO supply routes to Afghanistan closed after a November 2011 NATO-Afghan cross border attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.  Pakistan's National Assembly is set to debate reopening the route, albeit for a price.

Incredibly importantly, there are reports the Obama administration is considering a public apology for the November raid, for which it has thus far only expressed "deep regret."  The NYT quoted a State Department official as saying, "We've felt an apology would be helpful in creating some space."  I'd be interested in hearing the military's take on the apology, whether or not there has been a shift toward supporting such a gesture. It is my understanding the military at the time was not incredibly excited about the possibility of an apology, judging by the murky role Pakistani forces play in the Afghanistan war.  It probably doesn't help that US forces along the border have long suspected Pakistani forces have been attacking them from the safety of Pakistani border posts

US Centcom commander General Mattis is scheduled to visit Islamabad for talks with Pakistan's army chief General Kayani next week.  I'd hardly expect a kumbaya, but I guess it's good to move back to being frenemies instead of enemies. 

NYT: Can Egypt Avoid Pakistan's Fate?

At first, the comparison between Pakistan and Egypt made me cringe, but this piece by Michelle Dunne and Shuja Nawaz is worth a read. There are significant differences between the two countries, but the comparison nevertheless is apt.

"One year after the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian military is closing down civil society organizations and trying to manipulate the constitution-writing process to serve its narrow interests. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, where the military has also held sway for more than half the country’s existence — for much of that time, with America’s blessing — a new civil-military crisis is brewing."

With regard to both countries, the United States had the tendency to look the other way as long as the military regimes were willing to help the United States fulfill its regional goals.

The regional changes brought on by the so-called Arab Spring and the vapid anti-Americanism present in Pakistan show the danger of such an approach. Perhaps in the short run the status quo suits United States interest, but the repression, corruption, and economic stagnation of both these countries made the situation unsustainable. It is/was only a matter of time before the simmering pot exploded. I believe the Obama administration is smart enough to realize this. Fingers crossed their better judgement is not subsumed for short-term or domestic political interests.