Dancing with the Dictator

Dancing with the Dictator
How Bush's tight relationship with Pakistan's Musharraf has compromised the war on terror.

Nov 3, 2007 | Updated: 6:30 p.m. ET Nov 3, 2007

"We'd better get out the Rolodex," a senior U.S. official joked grimly on Saturday when he was asked whether the Bush administration needed to start making new friends in Pakistan. After six years of propping up and making excuses for Pervez Musharraf, however, Washington doesn't have many friends left to call on in Pakistan—perhaps the No. 1 generator of anti-U.S. terrorism in the world today. That's the dilemma that democracy crusader George W. Bush faces after Musharraf, one of his firmest allies, took the dictator's path and declared martial law on Saturday. There is perhaps no place on earth that more powerfully validates Bush's idea that democracy can be a cure for terrorism than Pakistan. And there is perhaps no place on earth that so powerfully exposes his occasional hypocrisy in failing to push for that policy.

more (and easier to read) http://www.newsweek.com/id/68115

Sen. Biden is quite correct in his frequent statements Pakistan is the greatest problem presently confronting the security of the United States.

during the debate. Had I not heard that, I probably wouldn't be paying this much attention.

It is one of those unfortunate jurisdictions that is not a naturally formed country. Its sole unifying principles consist of Islam, and a desire not to be a minority population under the Hindus of India. Other than that, it is an ethnic and tribal patchwork of peoples who have spent most of the last several centuries raiding and sniping one another. In local elections a couple of years ago, jihadist parties gained control of provincial assemblies in two northeaster provinces, and there is a seperatist movement in its western province that is particularly hostile to the religious mountaineers of the east. Not very promising overall, and while force from the capital is the traditional means of holding such centrifugal tendencies in check, Gen. Musharref may be nearing the limits of what such force can accomplish.

I'm working backwards, though, as I started with Musharraf. I was interested to see how he came to power and what exactly was the impetus for Bhutto to go into a self-imposed exile for 8 years.

The history of that area is so complicated and hard to follow, but in my cursory readings thus far, it's becoming apparent to me that so many (all?) of the problems were exacerbated when the British Empire moved in and began dictating who should live where, who belonged to whom.

They, like us, had no understanding of the tribal histories or the sense of identity these people drew from their heritage, and thought herding those of like religion together was a brilliant solution.

I'm looking forward to continuing my education, but I find even the little I've read makes my heart heavy.

At the largest scale, the important dynamic is the wave of Islamic conquest driving down into the Indian sub-continent arpund the middle of the last millenium, and the gathering resistance to this as its power decayed. Once the English were in, the Moslems found them a species of protector, paying in the coin of reliable native troops, while the English tended to view the Hindus as a distictly un-martial bunch. Moslem political leaders in the north reponded to the growing strength of Gahndi's Congress Party with demands for a Moslem state of their own, and that movement was the impetus behind the eventual partition on the English departure. That resulted in one of the great prossecional massacres of modern times, as people caught on the wrong side of the religious dividing line fled for their lives, and in millions of cases did not succeed....

about this history? And if you have any primers you could point me to, I'd be most appreciative.

on edit - I know Bush and Condi will just f it up worse somehow.

the debate Tuesday, I probably would just be thinking this is another power grab in another country 'over there'. I did know Pakistan has nuclear weapons, but I really didn't think much beyond that since it's doubtful they'd use them to attack US. (Nice attitude, gateley.)

Can you imagine what would be happening with the civil war in Iraq now if they had nukes? I shudder to think.

but I can't help wonder if this isn't somehow supposed to morph inot something bigger. I'm in tin foli hat territory now,I know... but, honestly, nothing much would surprise me...

He wants to maintain himself in power, which in his case aligns pretty closely with staying alive....

for several years on DU. It seemed obvious to me.

Busholini keeps spouting about countries that harbor Terrorists but has friendly chats with Mush & sends him a few $Billion. I think that the US should have sent in troops to Pakistan to fight Al Q long ago. To Hell with what Pakistan would do about it. Those Nukes in Pakistan pose a greater threat to the ME than Iran does by a long shot.