On the whole, I’ve been pretty satisfied with how things are going in Pakistan.
Kevin Drum notes that U.S. policy still seems fairly screwed up: "On Tuesday, senior coalition partner Nawaz Sharif gave the visiting Americans a public scolding for using Pakistan as a "killing field" and relying too much on [President Pervez] Musharraf." And our apparent response was to up the number of attacks our Predators are making before we lose the informal agreement that lets us make them. That seems like a strategy that’s just going to further worsen the relationship, particularly since it’s more likely that one of these rushed strikes is going to go bad.
However, there is a silver lining here. The updated pace of operations is another indication that we’re grudging accepting the fact that we’re losing our man in Pakistan. I haven’t seen us say anything critical about the new majority in parliament. And happily that new majority seems to be holding together and focusing on the right issues. Their first step has been working towards reinstating judges kicked off the bench by Musharraf. Still an open question whether they’ll be able to restore the Supreme Court position of Musharraf’s nemesis: chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. But regardless of how that battle goes, getting the rest of the judiciary back is a vital step. It’s also a step that will help the parliament in their future battles on other issues.
So part of this positive result is that the U.S. has gotten out of the way of Pakistan’s public will. Another part is that while President Bush was still too supportive of Musharraf, he was actively undercut by Senators Kerry, Biden, and Hagel who personally monitored Pakistan’s elections. During much of the twentieth century, the U.S. would be willing to actively subvert democracy to support a strongman in such a strategically critical position. What’s happening now is a change for the better in all ways.
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