I really wish Rep. Paul was just a little bit less crazy because a lot of his positions make perfect sense and a lot of what he says is the God’s honest truth.
How Much Do We Really Know About Pakistan?
By Chief Contributor Frederic J. Rohner
The short answer is not much. After reading many articles and OpEd pieces about Benazir Bhutto’s death and the effect it will have on Pakistan it seems that there are many different views of Bhutto and of the political situation in Pakistan at this moment as well as throughout its brief history as an independent state.
Bhutto was both hero and villain, the savior of democracy in Pakistan and the allegedly corrupt aristocratic Prime Minister.
At the same time, President Pervez Musharraf either ordered her assassination, was complicit in the crime by purposefully ordering lax security for the rally yesterday, or was simply the victim of his own incompetence. In the aftermath, Musharraf finds himself in a Catch-22: if he goes ahead with the scheduled Jan. 8th elections it will be seen as a callous attempt on his part to take advantage of the situation and consolidate his power through “fair” elections, but if he postpones elections to give Bhutto’s party, the PPP, time to reorganize and find a new leader, the move will be seen as a tyrannical effort to postpone democracy and grab power.
And then there is the other former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif who himself has been accused of corruption and incompetence and who has decided to boycott the Jan. 8th elections, essentially handing victory to Musharraf’s party.
It is very ironic that Bhutto would be assassinated not only in the same city her Father was executed, but also within a few feet of where Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, Liaqat Ali Khan was assassinated in 1951.
One thing is certain, the only thing that has remained steady throughout Pakistan’s history as an independent nation is turmoil: its politics have always been dominated by coups, military regimes, and assassinations. None of this helps the people of Pakistan, and Pakistan itself, with its possession of nuclear weapons and its location along the border with Afghanistan, is now the most important country in the world. What happens in the coming weeks will have repercussions throughout the region and around the world. And most of us in the west will just be confused onlookers.
For more information see:
Three possible post-surge scenarios.
Excellent analysis of the situation in Iraq from Slate. The Surge has brought down violence, but that does not equal victory. True victory is only possible in Parliament. Unfortunately.
Uzbek voters ‘offered no choice’
I wonder what else the citizens of the U.S. have in common with Uzbekistan?
Putin’s $40 Billion Fortune
Nothing about this “straight shooter” surprises me anymore. One thing I find amusing, however, is how bad a judge of character Dubya is.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2230924,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
Justice Nominee Questioned on Waterboarding, Refuses to Categorize it as Torture
If we participated in prosecuting Japanese soldiers for war crimes because they used this “method” of interrogation on U.S. soldiers in WWII, how can there be any doubt that waterboarding is inhumane, immoral, illegal, and, most importantly, torture?
E.P.A. Denies California Emission’s Waiver
Merry Christmas auto companies, here’s your present from the federal government.
Bill Richardson’s New Ad!
I could have sworn he was running for the pointless job of Hillary Clinton’s Vice President.
Putin: U.S. mars Russia’s image and rejects friendship
More from Dubya’s favorite dictator. I wonder if Bush still thinks Putin is a “straight shooter.” Bush’s legacy: unending international war on terror and a second cold war with Russia. Way to go idiots!
http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSL1928881920071219?feedType=RSS&feedName=wtMostRead
