Musharraf Deals Blow to Bush's Democracy Goals
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's decision during the weekend to suspend the country's constitution and postpone elections has created a new obstacle for President Bush's much-touted "freedom agenda" — his plan to promote democracy in the Middle East as a way to reduce the appeal of extremists and improve stability.
Bush mentioned Pakistan as a country that had taken steps toward a more sustainable democracy in June. But in reality, the democracy initiative has never played much of a role there, says George Perkovich, an expert on Pakistan at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The priority of the U.S. relationship with Pakistan, Perkovich says, has been cooperation in the war on terror, not supporting democracy.
Perkovich says recent coups in Pakistan (and he includes what happened this weekend in that list) always work the same way: The military says that it has to step in and save the country from fundamentalists or terrorists, but the first people detained are lawyers and judges, the educated, human rights advocates and the media. "They never seem to go after the people whose behavior is being cited as the reason for the crackdown," Perkovich says.
The Swamp notes that it's difficult for the Bush administration to push Musharraf too hard on the need for democracy because of the role he plays in battling terrorists in the region. But Perkovich says there are still things that can be done to move the country toward democracy, such as working to find alternatives to using Pakistan as a base against the Taliban and calling what he sees as Musharraf's bluff that the U.S. needs the Pakistani leader more than he needs the U.S.
If Musharraf doesn't move toward free elections, then the United States could start to reduce aid, Perkovich says. "The key is to watch what happens in the next few weeks. If he goes after the violent extremist groups, then it will be easier to move towards free elections. But so far he's done the exact opposite."
White House officials are holding out hope that the state of emergency will end soon and Pakistan will get back on the road to democracy. "This is a slight detour," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for Bush. "But I think they will get back on it. And we will strongly encourage them to do so."
2:46 PM ET | 11- 5-2007 | permalink
