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Pakistan post-PervezCorrect: all the politicans
Correct: all the politicans had in common was a hate of Musharraf. They will now fall out in lumps, as per usual, and invite another army coup, as per usual. I know it's likely that
I know it's likely that we're in for yet another turn of the dreary wheel. I'm just wondering whether the progress of Islamicization, especially in the Northwest, will affect the dynamic at all. The whole political map just looks a lot messier than it did pre-Pervez.
Hobbes;
Since there are
Hobbes; Since there are no US troops in Pakistan, there is little interest for anyone on OD to comment.
Just trying to look over
Just trying to look over the horizon a bit. As for there not being any US troops, you're probably right (didn't we bomb them recently?). On the other hand [quote] The United States has provided Pakistan with $10.59 billion in military, economic and development aid since Sept. 11, 2001. [/quote]
The dreary wheel spins
The dreary wheel spins faster. (NYT 8/20) [quote] Political order in Pakistan frayed further on Tuesday, the day after President Pervez Musharraf resigned, raising questions about who in the deeply divided civilian government would be in charge and for how long.
The instant deterioration in relations within the government became evident when Nawaz Sharif, Meanwhile, a Taliban-inspired suicide bombing in Waziristan leaves 31 Shi'a dead. Told you what will happen !!
Told you what will happen !!
2 points for prescience,
2 points for prescience, OK? But collapse is the easy part; a harder question is, how long will we have to wait for the other boot to drop? With Pervez forced from office, does the military still have the standing to stage the next coup? With the Taliban on the move in the North West, how bad will things get nationally? The India-Russia deal Candace mentioned elsewhere puts pressure on the Pakistani military to get right with the US; on the other hand, there is the little matter of the US mistakenly bombing Pakistani troops near Afghanistan. A little more chaos in that part of the world--nuclear missiles, don't you know--may bring some high-level attention. A real mess.
I think there is a chance
I think there is a chance Pakistan might 'fragment' - the Pakistan Taliban have a strong foothold, the North-West tribal areas are not under the control of central government etc. Also you can't rely on the intelligence service to be 'loyal' to the state. It was the educated Middle classes and the intelligencia who forced Musharaff from office. They may very well rue the day they did this, but we will see. I do agree: Pakistan is a real mess. If the truth were known it is more of a menace to the West and all of us than Afganistan.
From Irfan Husain's
From Irfan Husain's interview at the Council on Foreign Relations (US):
[quote] The problem with the Pakistan government, especially with the army, is |
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News this morning of Musharraf's resignation. Do democrats rejoice? Do security experts tremble in their boots?
It's been a while since I followed Pakistani politics closely, but my understanding is that the only thing that united the opposition parties--traditional enemies--was their common hatred for Musharraf. Now that he's gone, what's left holding the country together? Anyone have insight?