Pakistan and One Man

Over at The Amboy Times the question of “Are We Losing Pakistan?” was raised. I raised a couple of point that might be saying we are at least not losing.

I think Pakistan is too much on the edge to say whether we are winnign or losing. The above examples are frightning indeed but there are also several examples that would point to Pakistan moving away from being in support of a terror mentalty.

With the growing percentage of forgien fighter oppurating in the Afghan-Pakistan border war, shows that the movement may be losing steam.

The return former prime minister Benazir Bhutto maybe a sign of growing moderation in the poltical arena in Pakistan.

There has also be a major offense into areas that were left alone such as the Swat Valley and throughout northenr Pakistan

It is too early to be think of losing Pakistan to the terrorist and even if it is trending that way, it too important not to let it happen if at all possible.

A short time after that a state of emergency was declared in Pakistan and threw everything up in the air. Right now there are statements being issued about the scheduled upcoming elections.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistani government said on Monday it would hold a national election by mid-January, as it came under pressure from the United States for imposing emergency rule and detaining lawyers and opposition politicians.

President Pervez Musharraf, facing international criticism after suspending the constitution and purging the Supreme Court, told diplomats on Monday he was determined to quit as army chief and become a civilian president.

The move by President Musharraf seems to be an aim at guarantying his continued role as President. I would guess he sees himself as the only one capable of leading the nation during these difficult times. It easy to convince yourself that nobody else see the thing you do and know how to get it done. It is a warm feeling to believe that you are irreplaceable, that you are the only one to see what is right. It is also a very dangerous thing to do. Nobody is irreplaceable and nobody has all of the answers. When a person limits the path, they also limit the unseen opportunities.

This may not effect some of the short term goals in the ME but it a serious step back when one looks at the long term situation. One man saving a nation isn’t too far from one man controlling a nation. One only has to look at Castro and Chavez for the harm that can follow.

Sidenote:
Thanks to Church and State.