Bhutto’s Husband Wins Pakistan Presidency
Pakistan will have a new president, Asif Ali Zardari. The widower of slain Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto has successfully continued along his wife's path, drawing upon the support of her allies to emerge the victor by a wide margin in the election held to replace Pervez Musharraf, who stepped down as president in mid-August.
Pakistan will have a new president, Asif Ali Zardari. The widower of slain Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto has successfully continued along his wife’s path, drawing upon the support of her allies to emerge the victor by a wide margin in the election held to replace Pervez Musharraf, who stepped down as president in mid-August.
Although the winning party, the Pakistan People’s Party, declared the outcome “a victory for democracy,” the election wasn’t free of strife; as the BBC reports, “a bomb killed at least 30 people near Peshawar city” during the voting.
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Many in Pakistan fear the country is facing a return to an old-style politics of confrontation at a time when urgent action is needed to improve the economy and deal with a raging Islamist insurgency.
[…] Mr Zardari is seen as pro-Western and supportive of Washington’s self-declared war on terror. He will have to juggle the demands of the United States, Pakistan’s powerful army, and strong anti-American sentiment in the country.
Our correspondent says Mr Musharraf tried to do that and failed. She adds that Pakistanis hope that Asif Zardari will have more success, but they see little in his past to encourage them.
The fortunes of the Bhutto-Zardari family have fluctuated dramatically.
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For three generations, the Pakistani political dynasty has promised to improve living conditions, but residents of the Bhuttos' ancestral village still struggle in poverty.
Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the former president who was hounded out of the country after nine years atop a military government, has said he will return to Pakistan to participate in elections. (more)
In his latest, scathingly critical essay for Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens makes it eminently clear that he isn't buying any of the stories the US and Pakistani governments are selling about their increasingly complicated (and, in Hitchens' view, hypocritical) relationship (more).
The news of Osama bin Laden's death came at a time of strain between the U.S. and Pakistan. So how might this huge development affect future relations?
As he announced the death of Osama bin Laden on Sunday night, President Barack Obama gave a nod to nationalism, remarking that "today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people." Packaging aside, what apparently happened is that the elusive al-Qaida leader was killed by U.S. forces, who "took custody of his body," according to Obama.
As he announced the death of Osama bin Laden on Sunday night, President Barack Obama gave a nod to nationalism.
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