You wouldn't call it imperialism. But others will. Loudly.
And that's why we must refuse to cowed by the propangandist manipulation of language. Or anything else, for that matter.
Your point about the danger of proxies does have merit, I'll grant. But doing it in person also has dangers. Our young men in harm's way, etc.
I'm not suggesting anyone actually *trust* Pakistan, or what remains of the Northern Alliance. Hell, I don't trust Windows, but I use it for some things. I just use it in an untrusting, cautious fashion. That's how to use proxies.
I say try the proxies first, and monitor them very closely for misbehavior. And if that that doesn't work out, we come in and do it in person. Not to "assist" the proxies, as in Vietnam. We come in to replace them, and we make no bones about it.
