Word: musharraf
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President George Bush doesn't have time for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf these days. The two haven't spoken since the dictator declared a state of emergency across the country Saturday, putting the Bush Doctrine at odds with Bush's War on Terror. What communication there has been has hewed to the pattern of a schoolyard romance on the rocks. Instead of calling the Pakistani leader himself, Bush delegated Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with the task Monday of conveying a list of demands. "We expect there to be elections as soon as possible," Bush asked Rice to tell Musharraf...
...army and the police away from fighting terrorists. The militants and terrorists would have wanted nothing better than a fresh confrontation between the people and the government. And it is to prevent instability that my party and I have taken the decision to have political negotiations with General Musharraf in order to weaken the terrorists. But I am afraid his actions have played into the terrorist's hands. And he should remedy it. All of us who have a stake in eliminating terrorism must all work together to reverse what has happened...
This delicate dance is a result of Musharraf's uniquely powerful hold over the White House. The Bush Administration continues to insist it wants Musharraf to stay on the path to democracy, relinquish his position as head of the military as he promised and hold elections before January 15. But it is still unclear what happens if Musharraf doesn't do any of these things. Bush's pro-democracy goals for the country seem as much in conflict as ever with the U.S.'s other goal - to stamp out the Taliban in Afghanistan and dismantle terrorist networks operating inside Pakistan...
...efforts ferreting out al-Qaeda leaders taking refuge in ungoverned tribal regions that border Afghanistan. This cash, which comes to roughly $150 million a month in aid, is the U.S.'s only real leverage with Pakistan. Rice said Sunday that she would be reviewing the funding in light of Musharraf's coup d'etat over his own civilian government...
...cutting off aid is a risky venture. U.S. officials are concerned about how seemingly few results Musharraf has delivered for the money. However, no one wants to be around to see what will happen if his regime is allowed to collapse. "The U.S. is unlikely to ditch Pakistan and cut off all aid," says Teresita Schaffer, a 30-year State Department veteran and director of the South Asia program for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "They have to continue working with Pakistan on Afghanistan and terror-related stuff." Schafer suggests that the U.S. could start making more distinctions...