Pakistan votes: Will there be fallout for America's battle against terror?

The Associated Press

Pakistani election works struggle over ballot boxes.

Featured Topic | Posted 27 weeks 4 days ago

Pakistan votes: Will there be fallout for America's battle against terror?

Pakistan voters make another stab at democracy today, going to the polls to determine their country's future -- and, to some extent, the future of America's war on Al Qaeda. Troops are on alert, ready to respond to violence; political parties are on alert, ready to protest any losses or signs of foul play at the polls.

Can Pakistan preserve its tenuous stability? Or will the election tip the cart?

Ben likes: More trouble in Pakistan

Tom Donnelly/The Weekly Standard

The Taliban and al Qaeda seem to have a more consistent strategy than does the Musharraf government, the Bush administration, or NATO, and a growing stronghold in the tribal areas. Indeed, it is an increasingly open question whether Pakistan's preferred strategy for the tribal regions can produce a competent protect-the-people counterinsurgency campaign. Moreover, it's unclear that the Pakistani army--which may fear Bhutto's PPP more than Mehsud's forces--even wishes to learn the demanding arts of counterinsurgency. And finally, it's far from clear that American policy, driven by a too-often-mindless quest for "stability," and content to sell F-16 fighters, air-to-air missiles, and other high-priced baubles to Pakistan in place of the kinds of gear and training needed to address the threat, can stop acting as a enabler for the Pakistani Army's worst instincts.

Joel likes: In Pakistan, Islam needs democracy

Waleed Ziad/New York Times

The big problem — as verified by a poll released last month by the United States Institute of Peace — is that while the Pakistani public condemns Talibanism, it is also opposed to the way the war on terrorism has been waged in Pakistan. People are horrified by the thousands of civilian and military casualties and the militants’ retaliatory attacks in major cities. Despite promises, very little money is going toward development, education and other public services in the frontier region’s hot zones. This has led to the belief that this war is for “Busharraf” rather than the Pakistani people.