The Fall of Bhutto

[originally published on TheRebuttal.com, 2008]i

“Beginning early next year, U.S. Special Forces are expected to vastly expand their
presence in Pakistan, as part of an effort to train and support indigenous counter-
insurgency forces and clandestine counterterrorism units, according to defense officials
involved with the planning.”
- washingtonpost.com article by William M. Arkin, Wednesday December 26th, 2007

“U.S. officials said they were leery of intervening in another nation's internal affairs, and
didn't want to give Bhutto Washington's imprimatur.”
- Time.com article by Mark Thompson and Brian Bennett, detailing the assassination of
former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday December 27th, 2007

Terrorism loves a clear sky. It was 9/11 weather to be sure and, like clockwork, the fire
sprang forth and a pillar of democracy dropped back into the sunroof of a slowly moving
white sport utility vehicle.

The killer unleashed a bullet on the former Prime Minister, and followed it up with an
explosion that rocked the onlookers in Rawalpindi. 22 dead in the crowd, bringing the
grand total to 23. And if Jim Carrey has taught me anything, it is to fear the ubiquity of
the number 23. So what is there to fear? Assassination plots and mini torpedoes? Stray
flak and large crowds?

Actually, large crowds might not be a bad idea. You would do well to fear large crowds.

And so we are faced with another successful assassination. A democratic proponent

has been slain in Pakistan. Why was she slain? Well, we don't even know who did the
slaying. She opposed Islamic extremists with an indignant fervor, so it would be a
decent start to begin looking for the perp in those circles. U.S. foreign policy also shows
that any nearby country with similar customs and a mustachioed dictator will also make
a fine suspect. But without knowing with certainty who did it, there's no way to know why
they did it. The 'why' is more important than the 'who,' of course. 'Why' cuts to the heart
of the cause and the solution. 'Who' is just easier to see.

But 'who' may very well be in hiding now. President George W. Bush even spoke out
against Bhutto's murder by pronouncing heroically and defiantly, “Those who committed
this crime must be brought to justice.”

Hot damn, American Justice is on the way. Served warm with a side of democracy and
a cold glass of Don't Talk Back to wash down the world-powery goodness.

Several post-assassination articles make clear that Pakistan is likely the first stop on the
Freight Train to Blame. Many al-Qaedans indeed live there, in what have been
described as “lawless mountainous pockets in the northwest.” This much isn't up for
debate, not like the confusing bulls eye in Iraq following the American Incident in 2001.
You can be sure some sandy fellow drafts his fantasy team with other al-Qaedans in a
desolate outpost on the outskirts of Mirpur.

Let's not forget that Pakistan is the only Islamic state with a nuclear arsenal, with
Musharraf's "iron grip" on the country tempered only by American expectations of a
democratic Pakistani election in '08. Bhutto was the personification of America's hope in
this regard, and so, this assassination “is a blow for democracy in Pakistan and seems
likely to cement the military's grip on power for the near future.”

Boiling all of this down and filling in the blanks looks like this: America likes democracy.
Bhutto likes democracy. Musharraf says he likes democracy but keep his fingers
crossed behind his back just in case. Islamic extremists and terrorists of all shapes and
sizes HATE democracy. On December 27th, Bhutto decided to wave hello to throngs of
fans in an al-Qaeda-soaked populace by poking her head out of a car window.

We still don't know the 'who' or the 'why.' But once again we're stuck looking at the fiery
result of democratic flag-waving facing off against... something else. Maybe terrorists,
but maybe territorialists- believers of the mind-your-own-business creed, with guns and
explosives instead of "do not disturb" signs. Perhaps America was just this kind of
believer when metal birds brought down those skyscraping flag-wavers. In which case
the 'who' and the 'why' are both closer to our hearts than we care to admit.
i
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