We're In A Fix On Pakistan

With the killing of Benazir Bhutto, the situation in Pakistan continues to boil. You haven't found me in much sympathy with the Bush Administration, but in this case, they're (WE'RE!) really in a bind. Musharraf recently cracked down on opposition groups, especially those advocating more democracy. That's a tough thing for the United States to tolerate, seeing that one of the LATER reasons given for invading Iraq was to promote democracy. On the other hand, these countries aren't all like western countries. They still have a wild west like segment in them, and rule of national law is fragile, or often even non-existent. (I hate to compare them to the wild west, considering our murder rate, especially in some cities. So maybe we aren't as "advanced" as we like to think we are.) Musharraf does make efforts against the Islamic extremists, although he seems unwilling to really make the big effort to tamp them down. His own political position is tenuous, and it is a scary thought as to who might replace him, if he is overthrown or killed. Remember, Pakistan has nuclear weapons and a delivery system for those weapons; that is, missiles. It also seems to have a fairly substantial part of the population that favors Islamic extremism, or at least tilts in that direction. This is without question a country and a situation to watch.

Related:

http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2007/11/keep-your-eyes-on-pakistan.html