ANOTHER DAY
First news to hit me when I was able to get back on the net in Sao Paolo, Brazil, was the assassination of 
Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan.
Regardless of what one thinks of her legacy, this is big news for Pakistan, not to mention the U.S., not the least because of the administration's support of her return to Pakistan to run for office again.
The New York Times has a very candid, non-puff piece on the Bhutto's legacy, and it's a greater primer on anyone not familiar with Bhutto's history in Pakistan. Here's an example of the no-punches-pulled nature of the article:
"Saturday night at the diplomatic reception, Ms. Bhutto showed how she could aggrandize. Three million people came out to greet her in Karachi on her return last month, she said, calling it Pakistan’s ”most historic” rally. In fact, crowd estimates were closer to 200,000, many of them provincial party members who had received small amounts of money to make the trip.
Such flourishes led questioning in Pakistan about the strength of her democratic ideals in practice, and a certain distrust, particularly amid signs of back-room deal-making with General Musharraf, the military ruler she opposed.
“She believes she is the chosen one, that she is the daughter of Bhutto and everything else is secondary,” said Feisal Naqvi, a corporate lawyer in Lahore who knew Ms. Bhutto."
Fingers are likely to be pointed by many in the country to the current leader Musharraf, regardless of whether he's innocent of any complicity. As this BBC story points out:
"Analysts note that Rawalpindi, a garrison city, is seen as one of the country's most secure cities, making the attack even more embarrassing for the military authorities."
The other opposition leader to Musharraf, formerly deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned to the country recently with Saudi Arabia's support, was wasting no time, as the BBC story explains:
"Mr Sharif said there had been a "serious lapse in security" by the government."
Pakistan is on a long road to discovering it's own path to a bespoke democracy designed best to fit the needs of it's people. So far in it's 60 year history, the path has been rocky to say the least, with "democratic" governments designed more for the ruler (aka Prime Minister) de jour.
Yesterday's development in Pakistan is but another bloody mile marker on this really bumpy road.
It definitely leaves a frightening situation in Pakistan. I fear the worst.
Posted by: Jamie | Friday, December 28, 2007 at 05:45 AM