Does the murder of Benazir Bhutto ‘mark the culmination of the war on terror which
began on Sept. 11, 2001?’ According to this analysis by one of France’s leading historians, Alexandre Adler, the Pakistani military is up to its old tricks, appearing not to realize that ‘its chances of survival are directly linked to victory for the democrats and to a closer relationship with India.’
The Chronicle of Alexandre Adler
Translated By James Jacobson
December 29, 2007
France – Le Figaro – Original Article (French)With the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, we have reached the culmination of the war on terror which began on September 11, 2001. Still harboring on its territory the two main leaders of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, it isn’t surprising that Pakistan has again taken center stage.
The quick and apparently anxious way General Musharraf joined with the Americans after September 11th indeed allowed Islamabad to avoid offering any clear answer on the involvement of its army and secret services in the attack on New York. Still later, the strategic nature of the country and the facilities granted the FBI and CIA to hunt down the men of al-Qaeda – certainly offered without pleasure – has continued to immunize Pakistan’s military junta vis-à-vis the United States. Still, behind the smiles of command, George W. Bush has continued to strengthen cooperation with India for the purpose of intimidating the Pakistani army. In turn, this decidedly unreliable army high-handedly refused to accept Washington’s offer of lifting the embargo on F-16’s in favor of an alliance with increasingly-friendly China.
America – not completely satisfied with the ambiguities of Musharraf – and with the help of the Saudi monarchy, embarked on a new maneuver to force the military to share power with the two major civilian parties: that of Benazir Bhutto on the left and Nawaz Sharif on the right. Whether it was Musharraf himself that was the soul of the conspiracy against the return of the civilians, or more likely, the fanatical praetorians in the ranks of the army and secret services, Musharraf has been gradually compelled to follow their lead and cover for them. In any case, by this bloody crime, we are confronted by a Pakistani Army that clearly and precisely refuses to share power with the democratic forces in the country, and of course, refuses even more clearly any historic compromise with India.
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