Distraction in South Asia: How India Pakistan Tensions Distracted Washington from bin Laden's Growing Threat The 9/11 Commission Report highlights a disturbing pattern of distraction in American foreign policy.
The simmering tensions between India and Pakistan repeatedly pulled the State Department's attention away from al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, allowing him to operate with relative impunity.
In the late 1990s, the India Pakistan rivalry was fueled by nuclear tests and the Kargil war. This rivalry led Islamabad to view the Taliban as a useful ally, providing strategic depth against India.