Pakistan’s new leader

Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazair Bhutto, swept Pakistan’s presidential election last week, vowing to promote democracy and maintain ties to the West. Already head of the main ruling party, Zardari, who was elected by the legislature, becomes one of the most powerful civilian leaders in Pakistan’s turbulent 61-year history. His quick rise came after he marshaled a coalition that forced stalwart U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf to quit as head of state. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Zardari for recognizing “the centrality of fighting terrorism,” but it remains to be seen how much clout he will have over the nation’s powerful military.

The challenges facing Zardari were instantly brought home this week by a suicide bombing that killed 35 people in Peshawar and a rare U.S. assault against militants in Pakistani territory that killed at least 20 people.

Rice’s diplomatic niceties notwithstanding, said Bret Stephens in The Wall Street Journal Online, the war on terror has just been set back. Zardari, who earned the nickname “Mr. 10 Percent” for allegedly demanding kickbacks during his wife’s two terms in office, seems corrupt even by Pakistani standards. He now stands as “an inviting propaganda target for al Qaida and the Taliban.” Islamic extremists “feed on chaos, and Zardari’s presidency will almost certainly provide more of it.”

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Whatever Zardari’s faults, said Bruce Riedel in Forbes.com, he is “a smart and canny politician” who gives the U.S. an opportunity to reboot its Pakistan policy. Congress is weighing legislation to triple economic aid to the country. That’s the kind of help Zardari needs as he struggles to persuade his people that there are benefits to fighting on the side of the U.S.

Zardari won’t have much time to make this relationship work, said Peter Preston in the London Guardian. Pakistan’s economy is crumbling and the ineffectual Zardari is unlikely to set it right. “A year or two down the line, the military will sense a familiar opportunity and mount another coup.” Washington, which values stability more than democracy, is unlikely to shed a tear.