Pakistan Without Musharraf
August 20th, 2008 by Sarah
An editorial in the L.A. Times lauds Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to resign earlier this week, but questions whether Asif Ali Zardari or Nawaz Sharif have “the expertise to cope with the country’s most daunting challenges — runaway inflation, religious extremism and ongoing conflict with India.” Despite this, the editorial remains hopeful. “Democracy can and will work even in parts of the world where so far it has seemed a dismal failure. All it takes is a little patience; Pakistan’s people and army just need to provide it.”
On the other hand, Syed Saleem Shahzad at Asia Times Online reports on yesterday’s Taliban attacks in Afghanistan, claiming that the Taliban seized upon Musharraf’s resignation and the power vacuum it created in the country. Pakistan “is clearly a government of disunity, destined to endless feuding and paralysis - a situation militants will exploit to the full, as they have since Musharraf shed his uniform last November.”
Likewise, William B. Milam in the Daily Times (Pakistan) compares Musharraf’s resignation to the ending of Casalanca, where the key players made sacrifices to a “greater good.” Miliam, however, “doubts it will be sufficient for Pakistan to overcome its existential crisis.”
Meanwhile, Peter Wonacott and Zahid Hussain in the Wall Street Journal reports that Pakistan’s civilian government hit a snag after the PPP asked to review the issue of restoring the judges dismissed by Musharraf. Xenia Dormandy, a South Asia scholar at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government predicts that the infighting will worsen. “I’d be stunned if the current coalition lasted to next fall.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Reform, Terrorism | Comment »
POMED Notes: Pakistan, Toward Democracy and Stability
August 19th, 2008 by Sarah
Today, the New America Foundation invited Ambassador Husain Haqqani and Steve Coll to discuss the future of Pakistan. Ambassador Husain Haqqani is the Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. and Steve Coll is President of the New America Foundation. The event was moderated by Steve Clemons, Director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation.
Haqqani was optimistic in noting that “for the first time Pakistani politicians are united in making Pakistan a functioning democracy.”
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Event Notes, Pakistan | Comment »
Musharraf Resignation Reaction, Day 2
August 19th, 2008 by Adam
More reaction to Pervez Musharraf’s resignation as President of Pakistan:
The editorial in the Christian Science Monitor sees Musharraf’s departure as opening up a new role for the U.S., “…to assist this healing process and bolster democracy in Pakistan as the best bulwark against terrorists.” Caroline Wadhams and Brian Katulis at the Center for American Progress echo a similar note and say Musharraf’s exit allows the U.S. to move beyond its tendency to heavily rely on individual leaders in Pakistan and begin a relationship in which the U.S. strengthens economic development and democratic reform.
The New York Times says, “…Washington must provide more effective and realistic support for Pakistan’s fragile democracy.” They suggest Congress support legislation sponsored by Joe Biden and Richard Lugar, which would substantially increase economic and development assistance while tightly monitoring military aid. However, the Boston Globe cautions against idyllic dreams of Pakistani democracy, warning, “…US policy makers can’t be naive about the two party bosses(Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif) who have unseated him [Musharraf].
At Salon, Juan Cole looks at Musharraf’s resignation and criticizes the Bush administration for having supported a leader that was corrosive to the stability the U.S. wanted him to preserve. Cole says, “Musharraf was an embarrassment to the Bush administration once Bush began using a rhetoric of democratization,” and suggests, “If the U.S. and Europe are wise, they will give the elected prime minister their full support and pump in aid to help ensure that democracy in Pakistan, still an embryo, actually has a fighting chance.”
Meanwhile, Anwar Iqbal of Pakistan’s Dawn writes an interesting piece about how the U.S. finally decided to allow to Musharraf to exit. Iqbal describes, “…President Bush as Mr Musharraf’s ‘last holdout’ in the US capital,” even after the rest of his administration had already given up on him.
Across the pond, Ahmed Rashid in the Telegraph (UK) looks at the troubled legacy of Musharraf who failed to end the instability that he used to justify his rule. Rashid says, “Musharraf’s legacy is a tattered and divided civilian government that has been emasculated by the military, a polarised and heavily armed populace, a disastrous economic crisis.”
Lastly, the Arab News sees Musharraf’s resignation as honorable, but they are skeptical of the coalition government’s ability to move forward now that they have dispatched of their common enemy. The editorial hopes that, “They [the coalition] would be well advised to draw a line under the whole saga and devote all their energies in future to improving the lives of ordinary Pakistanis.”
Posted in Pakistan | Comment »
The Terrorism Index
August 19th, 2008 by Sarah
The Center for American Progress has released “The Terrorism Index,” surveying the foreign policy experts for their assessment of how the U.S. is fighting the War on Terror. Over 100 experts give their insight into U.S. policy toward Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, as well as the 2008 Presidential candidates.
To read the full report, click here.
Posted in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Military, Pakistan, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
2008: McCain, Obama On Musharraf Resignation
August 18th, 2008 by Matt
As an addendum to Sarah’s coverage of the Musharraf resignation below, here is a link to the statements issued by John McCain and Barack Obama regarding the Pakistani ex-president’s decision. Obama’s statement concludes:
“I hope all of Pakistan’s friends will now seize the opportunity created by Musharraf’s exit to focus on the urgent issues of today: confronting the threat of extremist violence, dealing with food and energy shortages, and helping the Pakistani people build a stable, secure, democratic future”.
McCain hopes for more “stable political footing” and ends with:
“It is critical that the United States continue to work in partnership with the Pakistani people and their democratically elected government to tackle the many challenges we both face.”
Posted in Election 08, Pakistan, US foreign policy | Comment »
Musharraf’s Resignation
August 18th, 2008 by Sarah
Troy at Abu Muqawama discusses Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s resignation and whether the civilian government will continue to fight extremism as Musharraf did. “Even if they decide to do so, can either the government or the Army provide the leadership necessary to do so?”
In regard to politics, Blake Hounshell at FP Passport warns that Musharraf’s resignation “could lead to ugly infighting between [Asif] Zardari and [Nawaz] Sharif.”
Likewise, Steve Clemons at The Washington Note suggests that “Musharraf’s rivals now need to be ‘for’ something rather than just against him. Hopefully, the competing parties will continue to collaborate on taking on huge challenges facing the nation — but their record is not good.”
An editorial in The Daily Times (Pakistan), however, is not optimistic. It argues that the call for Musharraf’s resignation is fueled by “revenge and not justice.”
Arif Rafiq at The Pakistan Policy Blog takes a close look at Musharraf’s potential replacements and the possible voting coalitions that may emerge. While “the PPP and PML-N don’t have to work together to choose a president….that would endanger the governing coalition….For its next president, Pakistan needs a symbol that will help unite it in a time of increasing fragmentation.”
Meanwhile, an editorial in the Daily Star suggests that Musharraf’s resignation “should be a wake-up call for Arab leaders that any semblance of eternal power anchored in foreign backing always turns out to be a chimera, when local, regional and global conditions change, as they always do.”
In regard to U.S. policy, Max Bergmann at Democracy Arsenal declares that “the resignation of Musharraf represents the total collapse of eight years of Bush administration policy.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Pakistan, Political Parties, Terrorism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Musharraf On the Apparent Move
August 15th, 2008 by Amanda
As Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s resignation seems imminent, Juan Cole at Informed Comment highlights the possible ways that the impeached leader could hold on to power. According to the Economist “… his chances of hanging on are, anyway, small” and offers some advice to the Pakistani government. They suggest that the problem isn’t Musharraf, but “the taliban and the economy, stupid”.
As Blake Hounshell at FP Passport thinks that “the United States is trying to ensure that he isn’t ‘humiliated’ on his way out,” Pejman Yousefzadeh at Red State believes that “the time has come for a serious and fundamental re-examination of our [U.S.] relations with Pakistan.”
Posted in Pakistan, US foreign policy | Comment »
Moving Forward in Pakistan
August 13th, 2008 by Sarah
Hassan Abbas at the Daily Star argues that the Pakistani army is unlikely to bail Pervez Musharraf out of the charges leveled against him and suggests that “it is time for Musharraf’s friends in the West to press him to serve his country one last time, by avoiding confrontation with his country’s democratic forces and calling it quits.”
An editorial in the Wall Street Journal warns that “the impeachment proceedings carry the whiff of personal vendetta rather than a good faith effort to fix Pakistan’s urgent problems” and expresses deep concern that unlike Musharraf, the coalition government fails to understand that “fighting religious extremism is as crucial to Pakistan’s sovereignty as it is to the free world’s.” Until it “demonstrates a better understanding of the dangers of militant Islam and shows a determination to fight it,” the country’s numerous problems will be left unresolved.
Posted in Military, Pakistan, Political Parties, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Impeaching Musharraf
August 11th, 2008 by Sarah
An editorial in the International Herald Tribune warns that there are no easy fixes for Pakistan’s civilian government. It recommends that the U.S. “resist any attempt to intervene” as the new government attempts to impeach Pervez Musharraf, and that the U.S. along with Pakistan’s army and civilian government must “work together to build a more effective democratic governance, and economic future, and a coordinated plan for routing the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Najam Sethi in the Wall Street Journal agrees that the U.S. “cannot be too sanguine about this continuing political instability. Their core interests require Pakistan’s civilian leadership to lean on the Pakistan army to rein in and retool the ISI, support the war on terror in Afghanistan, and refrain from refueling Islamist jihad in India-administered Kashmir.”
Anwar Iqbal at Dawn reports, however, on statements by the State Department to remain neutral on the subject.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Pakistan, US foreign policy | Comment »
Pakistan - Pervez and Other Problems
August 8th, 2008 by Amanda
As Pakistan’s PML-N and PPP parties have finally agreed on what to do with President Pervez Musharraf, the country is simultaneously being thrust into deeper instability and insecurity on multiple levels.
Seen as a widely popular measure due to overwhelming public distaste for Musharraf’s policies, the parties moved to impeach the President on Wednesday, and as Blake Hounshell at FP Passport points out, the US government “isn’t sticking its neck out” to help its former friend.
But Musharraf isn’t going down without throwing a few punches according to Juan Cole at Informed Comment, who reports that the President has declared that he is fighting the articles of his impeachment. Cole wagers that now “the stage is set for a major political crisis in the second most populous Muslim country in the world, the sixth largest country in the world, and the only Muslim nuclear power.”
Pakistan’s problems certainly don’t end with Pervez. Amid a “hell-bound” economy, “paralyzed” government, and escalating violence in the north-west, The Economist delicately posits that Pakistan”has more to worry about than Musharraf”. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Bill Roggio at The Weekly Standard might agree.
They argue that as Pakistan continues to destablize, Taliban and Al-Quaeda groups are gaining strength in neighboring Afghanistan, noting that “insurgents in Afghanistan will continue to use the situation in Pakistan to their advantage.” Fighting in the northwestern region continues unabated.
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan, al-Qaeda | Comment »
POMED Notes: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan: Challenges in the Fall and Beyond
August 6th, 2008 by Sarah
Today, the Brookings Institution hosted foreign policy experts Kenneth Pollack, Bruce Riedel and Jeremy Shapiro for a discussion on the state of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as U.S. efforts to partner with Pakistan in confronting al Qaeda. Kenneth Pollack is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Bruce Riedel is Director of Research at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, and Jeremy Shapiro is a Senior Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy and Director of Research at the Center on the United States and Europe. Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institution moderated the event.
Riedel called for the U.S. to “clearly stand behind the new democratically-elected government” in Pakistan, while Pollack recommended that the U.S. aggressively engage Iran in order to best serve our interests in the region.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Iran, Iraq, Legislation, Pakistan, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
2 Steps Back for Pakistan’s NGOs
August 4th, 2008 by Sarah
Pakistan’s Commission for Human Development (NCHD), has been closed down due to financial constraints, leaving 80,000 employees jobless. The Commission sought to strengthen Pakistan’s Government Line Departments and non-governmental organizations while improving education, literacy and the provision of basic healthcare services.
Many, including Uzma Zafar in The Daily Mail, strongly oppose the decision, and claim that Pakistan’s government’s refusal to fund the Commission proves that “democracy is nothing more than a fad.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, NGOs, Pakistan | Comment »
Pakistan Intelligence Linked to Indian Embassy Bombing
August 1st, 2008 by Sarah
U.S. intelligence officials have accused Pakistan’s military intelligence of providing “logistical support” to militants who bombed the Indian embassy in Afghanistan last month. Joby Warrick in the Washington Post argues that the finding “has dramatically heightened U.S. concerns about long-standing ties between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency and Taliban-allied groups that are battling U.S. forces in Afghanistan.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Terrorism, US foreign policy | Comment »
New Plans for Pakistan
July 30th, 2008 by Sarah
As Pakistan’s new civilian prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani visits Washington this week, an editorial in the New York Times urges President Bush to prove “that he is committed to strengthening both Pakistan’s democracy and its ability to fight extremism.” This is especially important as “Mr. Gilani’s constituents deeply resent the United States for propping up and enabling their former dictator, Pervez Musharraf.”
Along those lines, the newspaper advises Congress to pass legislation introduced by Senators Joseph Biden and Richard Lugar that would provide long-term increases in economic assistance to Pakistan and tighter monitoring of American military assistance.
Posted in Foreign Aid, Military, Pakistan, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: IRI Releases Findings From Pakistan Opinion Poll
July 29th, 2008 by Sarah
Last week, the International Republican Institute released the findings from its June 2008 Pakistan Public Opinion Poll. Thomas Garrett, Director of IRI’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Program, led the presentation of the survey’s findings alongside Rob Varsalone, IRI’s former Resident Country Director for Pakistan via teleconference.
71% of respondants believe that the new Pakistani government should engage in political dialogue with extremists.
61% believe the best way to combat extremists is with education and economic development. Another 24% believe these tactics should also be balanced with military force.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
For the entire Pakistan Public Opinion Survey, click here.
For IRI’s Pakistan Index, click here.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Pakistan, Public Opinion, US foreign policy | Comment »
A New Relationship?
July 28th, 2008 by Adam
An editorial in the New York Times suggests that President Bush use this week’s visit to Washington by Pakistani Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, to open a new chapter in U.S.-Pakistan relations. This new chapter must make clear the U.S. is committed to consolidating Pakistani democracy and fighting extremism, which can be demonstrated by providing substantially more economic and social aid as well more monitored military aid. The editorial concludes, “That way, Pakistan will have reliable funding for future social programs and be able to focus American military aid on counterterrorism. It is an imperfect solution but could be the start of a better relationship — one that promotes democracy and the fight against Al Qaeda.”
Posted in Foreign Aid, Pakistan, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan
July 24th, 2008 by Adam
Amnesty International recently released a report detailing enforced disappearances in Pakistan. The report cites 563 cases of enforced disappearances and states that the Pakistani government obstructed efforts to find those who disappeared. Amnesty International says most of the disappearances were conducted with the complicity of the security and intelligence forces, usually under the pretext of terrorism related charges. To remedy this violation of human rights, the report suggests that Pakistan reinstate judges that demanded answers on disappearances and fully account for all those who have disappeared.
Posted in Human Rights, Pakistan | Comment »
The Status of Al-Qaeda
July 22nd, 2008 by Sarah
This week’s edition of The Economist focuses on the status of al-Qaeda worldwide.
The issue addresses the current debate over CIA Director Michael Hayden’s claim of a “near strategic defeat” of the terrorist organization, its growing strength in Pakistan, its ability to recruit and export its ideology, the contrast between home-grown terrorism in Europe and the U.S., the effects of maintaining Guantanamo Bay on fighting global terrorism, tactics explored by Saudi Arabia to tackle terrorism, and al-Qaeda’s self-destructive tendencies.
Posted in EU, Military, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
The Mood From Pakistan
July 21st, 2008 by Adam
The International Republican Institute recently released a poll of Pakistani public opinion that provides insight into Pakistanis’ social, economic, and political outlook. On a pessimistic note, 86% of Pakistanis think the nation is headed down the wrong track and their are still high degrees of insecurity. Furthermore, a large majority see their economic situation as worsening, and the nation’s economic troubles are overwhelmingly the most important issue. There are some positive trends as people are favorably inclined to the government and believe that they can improve the issues they face.
Posted in Pakistan, Public Opinion | Comment »
Perilously Pakistan
July 18th, 2008 by Amanda
Continuing on the topic of Pakistan’s stock exchange riot on Thursday, Financial Times analyzes the possible causes for the outburst in a country that is “beset by a deepening political and economic crisis”. Foreign powers can assist the troubled nation with economic assistance, “yet, the solutions really lie at home” when it comes the the political upheaval. The power struggle between the newest power heads Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif is compromising stability, and “unless the party leaders come together for the sake of their country, Pakistan’s elected party leaders may find that the crisis consumes them too.”
At American Footprints Nadezhda believes that the instability has finally forced the Bush Administration “[to] become seriously spooked about Pakistan.”
Posted in Pakistan, US foreign policy | Comment »
