Benazir Bhutto assassination leaves U.S. plan "in tatters"

By Diane Silver

As I said before, I think we have to be careful about which narrative of today's events we embrace when it comes to looking at the meaning of Benazir Bhutto's death.

Informed Consent, University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole's blog, is one of the first places I always go for perspective on that region of the world. Cole's post does a good job of saying why Pakistan and Bhutto are so important for the United States.

Pakistan is important to US security. It is a nuclear power. Its military fostered, then partially turned on the Taliban and al-Qaeda, which have bases in the lawless tribal areas of the northern part of the country. And Pakistan is key to the future of its neighbor, Afghanistan. Pakistan is also a key transit route for any energy pipelines built between Iran or Central Asia and India, and so central to the energy security of the United States....

With Benazir's assassination, the Rice Plan is in tatters and Bush administration policy toward Pakistan and Afghanistan is tottering.

Cole's entire post is well worth reading.

Here are photos from the rally that Bhutto addressed just before she was killed.

PHOTO: Benazir Bhutto spoke to a crowd on Nov. 9, 2007.