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Sunday, August 25, 2002; Page B06
TO PROMOTE democracy in the Islamic world while pursuing other strategic goals requires a sense of balance, nowhere trickier to calibrate than in Pakistan. The State Department's effort to get that balance right last week was pretty much undone by President Bush, who in an off-the-cuff comment conveyed a sense that democracy in the South Asian country isn't all that important to him. It was the kind of remark that carries weight not only in Pakistan but in every other part of the world -- Palestine, Zimbabwe, Egypt -- where the United States claims to care about political liberty.
The catalyst for last week's comments was a series of constitutional changes announced by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, changes that reaffirmed his intention to maintain power for at least another five years despite his promise after his 1999 coup to rule only so long as "absolutely necessary to pave the way for true democracy to flourish in the country." State Department spokesman Philip Reeker, hardly throwing bombs at the U.S. ally, restated the U.S. faith that Gen. Musharraf "wants to develop strong democratic institutions." But, Mr. Reeker admonished, "we are concerned that his recent decisions could make it more difficult to build strong democratic institutions in Pakistan."
This mild reproof sounds like a spanking compared with the comments of Mr. Bush, who was asked Thursday about the rewriting of Pakistan's constitution. "My reaction about President Musharraf, he's still tight with us on the war against terror, and that's what I appreciate," Mr. Bush said. "He's a -- he understands that we've got to keep al Qaeda on the run, and that by keeping him on the run, it's more likely we will bring him to justice. And I appreciate his strong support." Then the president added: "Obviously, to the extent that our friends promote democracy, it's important. We will continue to work with our friends and allies to promote democracy, give people a chance to express their opinions the proper way. And so we'll stay in touch with President Musharraf in more ways than one."
Pakistan's alliance with the United States since Sept. 11 has been critical to the war against al Qaeda. A takeover there by Islamic fundamentalists would be disastrous. A Pakistani-Indian war remains a danger, with the unimaginable risk of nuclear exchange. So few people would suggest that democracy can be America's only goal in bilateral relations. Yet in the long run, Pakistan cannot be a useful ally, nor can it develop successfully, if its military dictator does not loosen his reins and give more scope for the rule of law. If he perceives that democracy is an afterthought for Mr. Bush, he is less likely to do so. So are other dictators around the globe.