So, Pervez Musharraf is going to resign. It’s hard to feel too bad about seeing the end of a leader who came to power in a military coup. And, in fact, I don’t feel bad! So that works out. But I am very curious, and somewhat worried, about the government that will replace him. Musharraf always acted as a break on the Islamic influence in Pakistan, and I wonder what kind of government the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistani Muslim League-N will form between them.
It seems like the military is maintaining neutrality, and that can’t help but be good. And there’s no telling whether or not the assistance that Musharraf has been tendering us in the crack down on the resurgent Taliban and the hunt for al Qaeda has been all that helpful. The area that they’re reported to be hiding in, the North-West Frontier Province is not really under the control of Musharraf at all. The cooperation of Pakistan always struck me as a difficult and unwieldy alliance. We helped to prop up Musharraf, and in turn he was supposed to help us in our fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban. That alliance didn't work out all that well for either of us.
In just about six months, we’ll have a new president. Bush has been great friends with both Vladimir Putin and Pervez Musharraf. Putin seems here to stay, even in his new role as prime minister, and who knows where Musharraf will end up. I hope that the next president will be able to meet with leaders of countries around the world, look into their souls and see things just a little bit more clearly than Bush has.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
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1 comment:
I've been thinking about this post since yesterday.
You are definitely on the central issue here- which of the many possible interest groups will replace Musharraf? I know next to nothing about the potential players waiting in the wings, but it seems to me that years of political oppression have left a variety of extremely motivated groups waiting for a chance at the spotlight with agendas that may or may not serve US interests. The army may remain "neutral" but one suspects only so long as the incoming authority agrees with their fundamental policy goals- as determined by whom you ask to enumerate them. How on earth could we hope to continue to exert influence in Afghanistan if Pakistan chose to close their air corridors? US policy for the whole region hangs on the attitude of his replacement.
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