US lays bare concerns on Pakistan army

WASHINGTON — In suspending aid, the United States is showing it will no longer give the benefit of the doubt to Pakistan's military after a long debate on how to handle the powerful institution.President Barack Obama's administration took office with a determination to strengthen Pakistan's weak democratic leaders and crafted a civilian aid package accordingly, all the while trying to nurture ties to a suspicious army.But now the administration has taken a major -- and, in some analysts' view, risky -- step of deferring $800 million for the army and saying it will not resume full funding without what it sees as progress on fighting insurgents."There has been growing estrangement but this represents a real change of gears because up until now the thrust of our relationship has been our militaries working together, whatever else happens," said Marvin Weinbaum, scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute."This is a high-stakes gamble in a way -- that somehow this is going to get the military to wake up to the fact that their long dependence on the United States, for equipment in particular, could end," he said.Pakistan's military, used to commanding respect at home, was chastened by its failure to detect a top-secret US raid in May that killed the world's most wanted man Osama bin Laden a short distance from the country's top academy.The Obama administration, if not much of the US general public, was restrained in its public comments after the raid, believing that the United States had little to gain by risking its access to the war partner.But some US policymakers and analysts were distraught at what they saw as a bellicose reaction from Pakistan since the bin Laden operation, including ordering out up to 200 trainers in the country."The US realized that maybe this isn't just about the Pakistanis' capability, maybe there is also a will issue," said Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation."This is a strong signal that the US is no longer satisfied with Pakistani co

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