The General's Bungled Opportunity in Pakistan

Pakistan seems headed for even worse trouble than seemed possible last week. Now both of its discredited former prime ministers seem poised to return from exile. The upshot: This perpetually strategic country is again unable to break its cycle of corruption and politics-of-entitlement.


Here is the first paragraph of The AP story: The party of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ruled out reconciliation with Pakistan's embattled military leader after a court said he can return home before upcoming elections. Read rest of story

Steve's comment: Sharif and his constant rival, Benazir Bhutto, both seem to see blood in the water, and a chance to grab back the power they lost when Gen. Musharraf seized control in 1999. Both are enjoying portraying the democrat.

Of course, neither is anything of the kind. Both represent crooked politics, crooked business, bribes and madness for power. That their respective parties have failed to grow up and find someone new after eight years in the wilderness demonstrates their own bankruptness.

Musharraf is ultimately at fault. Eight years after promising his country a new way, he failed to cultivate any civilian politician to replace him in the event of just the situation he now faces. Because of that, he, too, resembles the same old generals of Pakistan's past, who seized power and could imagine no one else sitting in their seat.

Without fail, Pakistan with regularity has found itself at the vortex of world events since its birth in 1947. It seems genetically strategic. So its politics cannot be ignored. As to what those politics will ultimately be this time, all bets are off.

One thing seems sure. Musharraf appears to be hanging on to power by a slender reed. Zahid Hussain of the Times of London has this typically incisive analysis of Musharraf's predicament.