The phrase 'Kerry-Lugar' has a talismanic quality in the Pakistani press now. It's not just the amount of money, it's the fact that it is now read as a symbol of our intentions to stick around and be serious about it.
Holbrooke highlights the symbolic importance of the Kerry-Lugar bill in Pakistan.
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The bill you have presented corrects a longstanding imbalance in our economic assistance.
Why are we in Afghanistan? The short, simple answer is: 9/11, direct threats to our national security interests.
The words 'Kerry-Lugar' have become a symbol of American support for Pakistan in the emergency.
We have ended poppy eradication, a radical change, because all we were doing by eradicating poppy seeds--poppy crops--was driving farmers--poor farmers--into the hands of the Taliban.