The sad truth is that in two terms as prime minister and a quarter century in the political game, Ms. Bhutto made very little difference to the feudal, often poisonous nature of Pakistani politics.
In fact, in many ways she embodied it.
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There is far more truth in this piece than politicians who are now using her name to support their positions -- and candidacies -- would like Americans to know about. On balance, she was probably the best available in Pakistan, just as a lifebelt is a valuable when a passenger liner sinks. But a lifebelt is not a lifeboat or a rescue ship.
This is more of an unfavorable than favorable analysis of Bhutto's political and personal legacy. On its own, the piece leaves much to be desired in terms of fairness and balance. The writer does provide some facts about Bhutto's rule that are less than stellar, such as her rather incompetent administrations and her amnesty deal with Musharraf which allowed her to return. In the context of the generally (and blindly, in my view) pro-Bhutto coverage we are seeing, I submit this piece in the hope of bringing some attention to an alternative viewpoint.
An interesting and tightly written critique. We are offered too many forgetful views of the famous dead that overlook their less savory historical acts to give the impression of fairness and contrition. Mrs. Bhutto's history is hard to sugar coat. It is good to see a clear reminder.
If the article applied the same tests to other Pakistani leaders, the result woul be the same. The real story is that this is a nuclear nation that lacks a humane approach to governance.
This story is a welcome relief from all the lionizing that often follows the assassination of a world leader who seems friendly to the West. Many of the recent stories about her have overstated the difference she could make. I always felt that the chief value of Bhutto's return to Pakistan was that she gave the Sindhi people some representation in the power struggles, not that she was some glorious reformer. Perhaps her legacy will be her bravery in the face of near-certain death, but that is a story for the future.
In the wake of the assassination of Bhutto it is easy to wax nostalgic and look only for the good points. This article looks past the death of Bhutto and tries to evaluate the political life of the former Prime Minister. I do think some more sources should have been cited. I searched archives on Proquest and found a lot of articles on Bhutto. It seems, like most people, she had some good and bad qualities. To expect the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan to change all the bad policies is unrealistic. I do agree that she was not a silver bullet for the West in Pakistan. It would take a lot more than her record showed her capable of to stabilize the democracy in Pakistan.
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