Dr. Muqtedar Khan posted a really good article on the Pakistan situation on altmuslim yesterday. He makes a number of interesting points and gives a good overview of what's going on. Especially this bit (which relates to my earlier post on the situation):
And he makes a good point that didn't occur to me:
Let's see how his conclusion pans out, though:
Here's hoping things work out sooner rather than later.
Even some of the secular elite who have supported Musharraf's undemocratic ways are becoming wary of his high-handedness. They appreciated his enlightened approach to Islam and saw him as a force that while subverting democracy minimally (only at the top, since the rest of Pakistan's governments, local and national, were elected), nurtured a degree of secularity and religious freedom necessary against the rising tide of Taliban-style Islamism. But what they have finally ended up with is more Islamic militancy with extremist violence, and less and less democracy.
And he makes a good point that didn't occur to me:
[Pakistan's] ability to retain liberal political institutions even under military dictatorship is an important characteristic that we must keep in mind as we watch the current spiraling sequence of political disasters in Pakistan.
Let's see how his conclusion pans out, though:
Washington cannot and will not abandon Musharraf. Indeed his move, which brings Pakistan closer to collapse, basically forces Washington to stand behind him more firmly, albeit unhappily. In the end, the current crisis can be diffused if an early rapprochement between Musharraf and the Pakistani Supreme Court can be arranged. It is here that Benazir Bhutto can play a role and reestablish herself as a major player both at home and in the eyes of the US.
Here's hoping things work out sooner rather than later.