George W. Bush is an impatient and vengeful man. When problems confront that do not allow for instantaneous and agreeable solutions, Bush has a habit of "blowing up" the problem. Blowing up the problem means agravating and inflaming the situation so that chaos ensues, giving his majesty carte blanche in molding the future to his own liking. Naomi Klein called it "Over Shock" in Iraq.

And this is where Baluschistan comes in. Baluschistan is the home of Pakistan's nuclear program, which would have to be "protected" should severe disruptions take place in populous Pakistan. Bush is already moving to "secure" this region. What's not appreciated is that Baluschistan is said to be rich in oil and gas, has border access to Afghanistan and Central Asia beyond and shares a border with Iran. Indeed, several proposals for pipelines through Baluschistan have come and gone, one of which is said to have cost Bhutto her presidency in 1996 when she gave the nod to an Argentinian company, Bridas, over Unocal. It is no coincidence that Hamid Karsai, the current puppet in Afghanistan is a former Unocal executive.

So if Bush can push the Baluchis into revolt, and there are many grievances and a conveiniently current Independence Front, then he can separate Baluchistan from Pakistan during the current trouble, bypassing the increasingly corrupt and bankrupt country.

The problem is the whole region would likely erupt and Pakistan's army would fight, but that is of little consequence to short-timer Bush, who would claim a masterstroke at the outset and be long gone when the bloodshed began.

Michael McKinlay

Hercules, CA