The Problem in Pakistan

By Tony Karon

"Pakistani politics has been horribly disfigured, not only by the venal ineptitude of the Benazir-Nawaz brand of politician and the military’s insistence on a political veto, but also by the role Pakistan has been expected to play, for a half century, in U.S. geopolitical plans. The primary reason for Musharraf’s unpopularity is not his state of emergency; it’s his willingness to fight America’s “war on terror.” As long as the U.S. needs Pakistan to be a client state, whose leadership remains ready to do Washington’s bidding, its politics will remain in a perennial state of crisis. In short, General Musharraf doesn’t have much to worry about......."