John CapuchinoWith Friends like Pakistan… The current situation in Pakistan is volatile. Musharraf, Pakistan’s current head of a martial law state, appointed himself head of the Pakistani Government through method of coup. The Supreme Court of Pakistan questioned the legitimacy of the latest election installing Musharraf as Pakistan’s elected official. Musharraf then suspiciously declared an emergency, sighting radical Islamist organizations as the cause to declare martial Law, which also unseated the Supreme Court that questioned his election. Gregory S. Druehl, Department of the Political Science and International Relations Chairperson at De Anza College feels that Musharaff is ultimately wrong in taking the power away from citizens of Pakistan. He said that a lot of the people in the media are distraught with what they see happening. Druehl believes that Musharraf is currently being pressured by the American Government through means of financial support. Every year the U.S. Government gives Pakistan billions of dollars in aid which is intended to go towards their military. The U.S. is currently threatening limiting aid. Pakistan is a key ally in the war on terror. Now that martial law has been declared, those dollars are being diverted to policing Pakistan’s protesting citizens. Mr. Druel said, “There is no question that our interest in combating terrorism is outweighing our interest in promoting democracy. Before 9/11, the United States imposed sanctions against Pakistan for a military coup that overthrew a popularly elected leader. We reversed our course of action. After 9/11 we needed the support of the Pakistani Government to fight the war on terror. You could call that circumstantial foreign policy, and I believe that would be true.” An official that had been deposed and recently allowed to return to Pakistan is causing political turmoil. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is attempting to run in the upcoming election on a pro human rights, liberal platform. She has supporters numbering in the thousands. She is currently under house arrest. She recently attempted a march to Pakistan’s capital. She was not allowed to travel far. Many of the supporters following her were arrested. She has recently called for Musharraf’s resignation. Mr. Druel said that he believed Bhutto was an opportunist. He then said that the best possible outcome for Pakistan is democracy. He said that Bhutto, the opportunist, is ultimately a proponent of democracy. He said that if she were elected with a majority vote she should definitely be the one to lead Pakistan. Ultimately Druel believes in empowering people. He believes that democracy is trusting that, given the opportunity, the majority of people will choose the best course for themselves. He sighted Japan and India as good examples of countries that were previously ruled by totalitarians and yet transitioned into democracies that are prospering. He said that you don’t need a dictatorship to have stability. He said that the military and the government can and should remain separated. The United State is not a shining example of a healthy form of democracy. It is difficult at times to watch Washington D.C.’s often inability to get anything done. It is frightening to watch President Bush attempt to spread democracy to Iraq at the cost of Iraqi civilian and U.S. Military lives. It is certainly not perfect. But Mr. Druel is correct in believing that the power should remain with the common man. In that sense, democracy deserves the chance to prosper in every country around the world.