Moni Mohsin for Prospect Magazine:
Despite all the acquired veneer of western education, whether it is the Bhuttos or the Gandhis, as long as there is an adequate supply of willing family members, south Asian politics remains dynastic; family brands once established (through the ballot box and personal tragedy) transcend regional concerns to bind complex polities. This “demand for dynasty” transcends social divides. While Pakistanis living abroad find it jarring that democracy can be dictated by inheritance and bequeathed from the grave, this is readily accepted by local labourers and intelligentsia alike, who are grateful for any short-term fix to immediate danger.
The full piece is actually a bit more of a sympathetic portrait of Bhutto than this quote would let on.
One Comment
Interesting you should make these posts…here in america (at least in the strange world of print/commercial media) things are a bit strange…
I opened this sundays Idaho State Journal (the paper for SE Idaho) and found the Parade magazine (the cheap rag that typically discusses celebrity gossip and how to bake tasty pies) with a headline that read something like, “America’s best hope against terrorism.” Though there were numerous comments in the internet world and a few papers ran notes in the editor’s section explaining that the article had gone to press before her assassination, I think that a good number of americans remained unaware of the awkward timing of publication. For example, our paper commented on her death in an 8th page blurb that was three sentences long.
strange times and mixed messages for americans with little connection to the world around them beyond their mass media.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hkiWbFXK3uebvRyhLSRePAAoZf3AD8U0NH780