BRITAIN

BRITAIN

The Times, London, Feb. 20: The triumphant opposition must not overplay its election victory The first reaction of observers from the U.S. Senate, Western governments and nervous politicians in neighboring India to the outcome of Pakistan’s parliamentary elections was relief. The vote was credible, legitimate and a significant landmark in returning the country to democracy. The moderate majority of the people expressed their desire for change. This has been accepted by President Musharraf, despite the huge setback to his political authority. Notwithstanding sporadic incidents of intimidation, there was no systematic attempt to rig the vote. The violence and suicide bombings that marked the start of the campaign, and almost sabotaged the entire election, did not dampen the stoic determination of millions of voters to make their voice heard.

Musharraf’s future

Democracy, however, is far from entrenched. The election raises questions that must be resolved if the vote is to be respected. The first is the position of President Musharraf. He has brought much of the odium and turmoil of the past six months on his own head through his ill-judged attempts to bypass the courts and political establishment in prolonging his rule. His brief imposition of military rule was a fatal miscalculation that turned the middle class and millions of moderates against him, damaged his standing abroad and, in the end, forced him reluctantly to doff his army uniform. But recent statements have shown a more realistic assessment. His insistence that he will work with whichever government emerges suggests that he understands the change in the power balance. If he has any role now, it is to maintain Pakistan’s standing abroad, guarantee continuity and act as a ceremonial civilian head of state.

RUSSIA

The Moscow Times, Moscow, Feb. 19: A concentrated ethnic majority — Kosovar Albanians — is establishing an independent state in Europe without the consent of its parent state, Serbia.

Western policymakers might be hoping that the integration of all of the Balkans into the EU and NATO would minimize the consequences of the Kosovo precedent.

But these hopes are limited by how many nations and ethnic groups the EU could absorb or anchor before ... threatening its economic, security and political viability.

The Kosovo example also risks starting a chain reaction elsewhere in the world, including former Soviet republics.

Negative consequences

International recognition of Kosovo’s independence would be fraught with negative consequences for Russia, which has its own ethnically distinct republics such as Chechnya.

In addition, such recognition would force Russia to take a stand after years of ambiguity on so-called frozen conflicts within the former Soviet Union. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Russia to offer tacit support for separatist regimes while officially backing the territorial integrity of former Soviet republics. ...

The ambiguity in the Kremlin’s approach toward frozen conflicts in its neighborhood demonstrates vividly that its real interest is to anchor former parts of the Soviet Union to Moscow, not to support the self-determination of self-declared republics or the territorial integrity of its neighbors.

SOUTH AFRICA

The Star, Johannesburg, Feb. 20: No one sits on the fence when Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro is concerned — he is either a terrorist and agent provocateur par excellence, or a liberator effused with a messianic zeal.

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said yesterday that he will not return to lead his country, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution. Castro (81), who has not appeared in public since undergoing stomach surgery almost 19 months ago, said he would not seek a new term as the communist country’s president or as military commander in chief when the National Assembly meets on Sunday.

Third World admiration

Condemned by the West as a dictator, Castro is much admired in the Third World for standing up to the United States and providing free education and healthcare in his impoverished country. Closer to home, he sent more than 350,000 Cuban troops to fight against Unita and South African forces in Angola, leading to Namibian independence in February 1990 and hastening to the end of apartheid and our own freedom in 1994.

It needs to be admitted that Castro’s Cold War alignment with the former Soviet Union helped push the world closer than it ever had been to nuclear war. It is still early to predict if Castro’s stepping aside with make any difference to the poverty-stricken Cubans at home or in the diaspora.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Gulf News, Dubai, Feb. 20: The labour of any democratic process is long and demanding, and Pakistan is no exception to the rule. There is no question that the recent parliamentary elections were decisive as far as the future of the country is concerned. But what is more important here is how the nation will move forward in the right direction.

Perhaps a majority vote for the opposition parties was expected, and did not come as a surprise. The country last year experienced major events including the return of opposition party leaders Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. Then there was the assassination of the latter, President Musharraf’s giving up his military uniform, and the bombings that have affected the security situation throughout the year. There is no doubt that all these events have left a great impact on the political scene. ...

Grave challenges

Pakistan today faces grave challenges, both on the internal as well as the external fronts. For one thing, there is a general lack of stability, unity, and consensus, which are critical for building the country’s institutions and civil society. Holding an election is just a part of a larger framework that seeks to facilitate the democratic process. The first step to bringing about such changes has already been set in motion and this should be built on and taken forward.