Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Musings on Pakistan

Did Musharaf order the murder of former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto? I suppose anything is possible. But for a politician with Musharaf's skill, it hardly seems his style. Rumors abound that Al Queda and the Taliban have the protection of the Pakistani Government in Northern Pakistan. This may very well be true to some degree. Some have blamed this cozy relationship for the slipshod protection of Bhutto. No matter who killed her, she's not coming back. What seems important now is to determine not just WHO killed her but WHAT forces manipulated the assassination and WHY?

I understand the Musharaf would have a motive for seeing Bhutto dead. It's far too easy to point to him as the originator of the hit. Maybe that's reason enough to believe he did order it. Kind of a "hide in plain site" alibi. "Surely everyone knew I wanted her dead," he might respond, "but murder of this kind is despicable to me." And so Poirot is left considering the less obvious suspects.

There is no question that Bhutto had lots of enemies. She was a woman leader in a male-dominated society. She was a destabilizing force in a very unstable region. She had an international following and world-wide recognition. Even in this country where we foolishly believe we are more enlightened, we fear a powerful woman taking a supreme leadership role.

The Pakistani people have some soul-searching to do along with their search for Bhutto's killers. Likewise, we in America have to consider our own outdated ways of thinking about women leaders. It's far past time to grow beyond where we've been.