It's always difficult to separate the messenger from the message, especially when the messenger has a history.
The core part of the message, I thought, was this sentence: "Just as democracies do not make wars of aggression, democracies also do not sponsor international terrorism."
That much is true. The problem facing the world is that democratic traditions take a long time to develop and face many formidable foes along the way. Democratic principles require that government power and authority be diminished. They require that individual freedom, both economic and political, be carefully and vigorously protected. And throughout history, the poorer and less economically developed a nation is, the more difficult it is for democracy to flourish. Poverty, starvation, lack of opportunity -- these are breeding grounds for corruption. And if a culture or system becomes corrupt, democracy cannot exist, for democracy has fairness (not perfect fairness but a general sense of fairness, in elections and in the basic functions of government and society) at its core.
Aginst that backdrop, the "democratic Pakistan" that Bhutto writes about seems a distant pipe dream, and for Afghanistan, virtually impossible. The world may have to face the prospect of a long occupation and a generations long effort to educate the populace, male and female alike. |
