Our man is unstoppable! Kaplan writes in The Atlantic that he is very unimpressed with Pakistan’s new President, Asif Ali Zardari. Kaplan calls Zardari a “feudal lord” and describes him as a man whose main political achievement was that he “got Bhutto to marry him.” Touché!
If Zardari fails, the military might once again step in to fill the power vacuum—but in a manner different from previous military coups. In Pakistan’s muddled history, generals and politicians have taken turns in power, and both have failed. But the West would condemn another coup, and Baluch and Sindhi minorities—who see the military as a Punjabi conspiracy—would erupt in nationalist fury if the military seized power. What we might watch for in the months ahead are signs of a creeping, undeclared coup, in which Zardari and opposition leader Sharif engage in a soap opera of political machinations against each other, while the tribal areas and other parts of the country slip into partial anarchy. The military would quietly assert itself, filling the gap in governance. Military rule would prevail, in all but name. That scenario is what the former playboy Zardari threatens to unleash.
Comments are closed