Pakistan: An imperfect friend
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf asked the West to be patient with the slow pace of democratic reform in his country as attacks by Islamic extremists mounted. Musharraf is "his own worst enemy," said The New York Times. Pakistan's problem is
What happened
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Monday called on the West to be patient with the slow pace of democratic reform in his country, and promised that Feb. 18 parliamentary elections would be fair. (Detroit Free Press) A top U.S. commander met with Pakistan’s army chief to discuss the security situation after government troops clashed with supporters of a Taliban commander suspected in last month’s assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. (Reuters in The Washington Post, free registration)
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
By focusing on countering what he calls “Western propaganda,” said The New York Times in an editorial (free registration), Musharraf is showing once again that “he is his own worst enemy and Pakistan’s as well.” Pakistan’s real problem is the Islamic militant groups that the country’s intelligence service helped create, only to see them launch attacks on the government—possibly including former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Musharraf should work with “whatever leaders the election produces,” and start fighting the true enemy for a change.
“There are signs that Pakistan's leaders finally are waking up to the threat” of the Islamic jihadists, said Joseph Galloway in The Miami Herald (free registration). The flurry of recent attacks has shown that the extremists who poured into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan six years ago are “beginning to realize that Pakistan, with its nuclear arsenal, is a much juicier target than Afghanistan.”
The Bush administration has had to lower its already modest hopes for Pakistan, said Paul Richter in the Los Angeles Times (free registration). The goal of “a stable, somewhat democratic government that would fight against Islamic militants” has been replaced by a “push for fair elections in February, hoping they will give President Pervez Musharraf greater legitimacy and Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party a stabilizing secondary role in the government.” An imperfect friend is better than no friend at all.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Wall Street tumbles on poor tech results
Speed Read US markets had their worst day since 2022 as Tesla and AI stocks dropped
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Salt Lake City named host of 2034 Winter Olympics
Speed Read The Winter Games are returning to the US for the first time in 32 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published