AS the Nato strike crisis continues to unfold, militaries on both sides continue to maintain aggressive postures. Gen Kayani wrote to his troops on Thursday vowing retaliation against future aggression and permitting them to retaliate against it without waiting for orders from Rawalpindi. No doubt, the loss of 24 fellow soldiers was a tragic event and the military's ire is understandable. Nevertheless, one wonders if this was the best way to go about shoring up morale. The fact of the matter is that Pakistan neither can, nor should, take on the US in a military confrontation. While outrage needed to be conveyed to America, domestic emotions need not be whipped up to the point where the alliance becomes untenable. For the sake of regional stability, Pakistani troops will have to continue to cooperate with Isaf troops at the border. They should also be taking on any militants using Pakistan as a base to launch attacks across the border. All of this must be reciprocated by the US of course. But there has been plenty of sound and fury already and it is time for some realism and a toning down of aggressive rhetoric, or at least an acknowledgment within the rhetoric that cooperation is the ultimate goal.

Meanwhile, reports emerging from Washington indicate that the Pentagon has been restraining the White House from offering a formal apology from President Obama. In the other corner is the State Department, with the US ambassador in Islamabad suggesting that the president address the Pakistani people. The rift between the Pentagon and the State Department on the topic of Pakistan is not new. The drone programme here has also been shown to be one source of disagreement, with the Pentagon quicker to pull the trigger regardless of diplomatic context. Now the US military's hard line is preventing an apology that could go a long way to ease tensions. What provided some reassurance was cooperation this week between Pakistan and Isaf forces that averted another possible exchange of fire. Both militaries need to tone down their positions so that similar cooperation can continue to take place.