Bush's Sham of Democracy in Pakistan (and Iraq)

OpEdNews

December 30, 2007 at 07:50:35

by Ron Fullwood

"Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence. But I guess that's better left unsaid."--Dylan


Democracy in Pakistan doesn't exist, any more than it does in Iraq. It hasn't existed in Pakistan since the 1999 coup by Musharraf. Yet, the Bush administration is calling for the 'democratic process' to be 'restored' in Pakistan after the killing of the leader of the most popular opposition to the U.S. supported dictator there -- much like their insistence that an end to their occupation of Iraq and restrictions on U.S. assistance to the installed and propped-up Maliki regime would threaten 'democracy' in the sovereign nation Bush invaded and overthrew.


For the Bush regime, democratic government is defined, more by an ability to seize and hold onto power, than by any recognized and accepted instigations of actual democracy. For Bush in Iraq, the 'elections' which brought the Maliki regime to power -- and, were held under an increased military occupation and widely boycotted by many of Iraq's population which wasn't aligned with the Shiite majority who voted in overwhelming numbers -- were enough to justify any and all actions by the U.S. enabled regime; including military assaults on rival communities before, during, and after the voting took place.

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