Posted on 12/30/2004 6:17:51 AM PST by OESY
Just a year ago, Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, promised to shed his uniform and give up his position as head of the armed forces by the end of 2004. It seems unlikely he'll will meet that pledge.
Musharraf made the promise as part of a deal under which opposition parties validated his presidency and accepted constitutional amendments that added to the president's powers. The opposition (and U.S. commentators) started beating the drums about Musharraf's "broken promise" weeks ago. The main Islamist party, the United Action Assembly (MMA), has staged a number of demonstrations.... Musharraf has also come under pressure from the Pakistan People's Party of former Premier Benazir Bhutto....
Musharraf's decision to combine the presidency with army command is in contradiction with his professed attachment to "the Turkish model," which he regards as ideal for his country. In that model, the army is the protector of the constitution and guarantor of national interests above partisan ones.
From the creation of the Turkish republic in 1921 until the mid '90s, the presidency of the republic always went to a general or an admiral. But this is no precedent for Musharraf: The Turkish presidency is largely symbolic... with no ongoing role in the military.
Nevertheless, I think Musharraf is right to continue....
Pakistan today is on the front line of the war against terrorism, and thus a key element in any future defeat or victory. Musharraf seems to be the best man to lead that crucial part of the fight. He must be supported by America and its allies and by all moderate Muslim states who appreciate the threat that extremism poses to Islam as a whole. But he needs to mobilize the nation's political forces, indeed civil society as a whole, to achieve a quicker and more decisive victory.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Interesting... in some places, we need strongmen to make the countries/regions safe so that a liberal democracy can take root.
Russia appears to be another of those places for now.
Bump
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