12.27.2007

Benazir Bhutto is Dead

Along with twenty others, in a suicide bombing. I didn't pay close attention to the news report after it got a bit annoying and nationalistic (which, admittedly, is correct from a realist standpoint, but I am a Democrat at heart...). What intrigued me about the report on ABC news, though, was the propagandistic nature--the man described the bombers as 'cowards who hate democracy'--well, that or something equally inflammatory. Fascinating. The prevalence of the Cold War mindset here is deeply interesting to me; democracy is not an ideal government in a country where the majority of the people are not involved in international commerical enterprise as either consumers or traders and where the infrastructure--including, I suppose, things like communications towers and even Wi-Fi in this modern world--is not advanced.

At any rate, the societally aware part of me--the part that joined Amnesty International--abhors Musharraf; but at the same time, he is doing exactly what he needs to fulfill his individual goals--seemingly the control of Pakistan. So, while we can all rail about how he and Al-Qaeda "hate" democracy and the Western world, it's stupid to think those are the reasons for the destruction of his rival.

Though...Bhutto could become a martyr if her supporters move fast enough. With her as a symbol of outrage and with enough appeal, the people of Pakistan might be able to remove Musharraf. Revolution is sometimes the answer; though the question is, will a revolution really bring the people a leader who will do what is necessary for Pakistan to progress from a Western perspective? In politics, one never asks a question that one can't answer...Musharraf clearly isn't expecting enough outrage in Pakistan to depose him. Which demands either involvement from the West or even neighboring countries like India--more funding of revolutionaries--sorry, freedom fighters--or enough reassurances from Bhutto's party to cause a popular upheaval. I'd expect only the former to have a chance of working, as Musharraf isn't expecting the latter--either that, or he doesn't expect a second leader as charismatic and internationally successful as Bhutto to show up.

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