Bhutto Assassination: The Fallout
December 27, 2007
Is an Islamic nuclear power on the verge of descending into all-out civil war? That was the first thought that flashed through my mind upon hearing of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhuto's assassination this morning.
Bhutto's murder was all but certainly carried out by radical Islamists aligned with the Taliban and al-Qaeda (with possible assistance from Islamist sympathizers in Pakistan's intelligence services). There are so may potential scenarios and questions--none of them good, for Pakistan, the U.S or the global War on Terror--that arise from this disastrous event.
First, and most obvious, who is responsible? As stated above, it's fairly obvious. But will Al-Qaeda lay official claim to the deed, provoking a possible backlash? Which brings us to the second question: how will Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf react? He's been largely ineffectual when dealing with radical Islamists over the past several years, as we've documented here and here on CBN News. Third, will Pakistan still hold elections next month as planned? Fourth, and most importantly, whither those nukes?
Rest assured, that is the first question on President Bush's mind. It appears they're in the hands of Pakistan's new military chief, the Musharraf loyalist General Ashfaq Kiyani. How should the U.S. deal with him and the Pakistan crisis in general (which far predates today's events)? CBN News consultant Daveed Gartenstein-Ross wrote a penetrating analysis in the Weekly Standard recently on the subject.
Stay tuned to CBN News over the next several days as events in Pakistan unfold. In the meantime, check out this devastatingly accurate summation of the Pakistan situation at National Review Online from our friend Andrew McCarthy.
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