[AUDIO: Operation Ajax, as the plot was code-named, reshaped the history of
Iran, the Middle East and the world. . . . inspired fundamentalists
throughout the Muslim world, including the Taliban and terrorists who
thrived under its protection.--"All
The Shah's Men," OnPoint Radio, August 20, 2003]
[The surprise appearance of the day came from retired lieutenant-general
Hameed Gul, former chief of Pakistan's Inter-services Intelligence Agency,
who broke through police barriers dressed in his military jacket, promising
to call 2.2 million retired army personnel onto the roads if police tried to
stop him.--Sonya Fatah, "Pakistan protests mount to oust
Musharraf," Globe and Mail, March 23, 2007]
Declan Walsh, "Anti-
Musharraf protesters rally outside court to defend judge," Guardian,
April 4, 2007
[U.S. policy toward Pakistan, in other words, is based on trust. But too
much trust is making Musharraf's Pakistan a potential threat to long-term
U.S. security.--"Misplaced
trust," USA Today, April 4, 2007]
[Musharraf's honeymoon with the West has soured. The main reason is the
revival of the Taliban Islamic militia in neighboring Afghanistan, a revival
Afghan leaders blame on support from Pakistan. U.S. officials, after years
of praising Pakistan for its cooperation against terrorism, have begun
criticizing it for failing to control Islamic extremists at home.--Pamela
Constable, "Pakistani Political Strife Prompts Action Among
Emigres," Washington Post, April 7, 2007]
Jim McIlroy, "'Crisis for the regime
is very deep' in Pakistan," Green Left Online, April 12, 2007
[Under the emerging deal, Bhutto's powerful Pakistan Peoples Party would
back Musharraf's re-election bid, essentially guaranteeing that he'd stay in
power. In return, Bhutto could end her decadelong exile.--Zahid Hussain and
Ron Moreau, "Musharraf's
Secret Deal," Newsweek, April 30, 2007]
"Tens
of thousands welcome sacked Pakistan judge," AFP, May 5, 2007
S. Amjad Hussain, "Pakistan is plunged into political crisis," Toledo
Blade, May 21, 2007
Griff Witte, "Teetering Musharraf Buoyed by U.S.
Alliance," Washington Post, May 28, 2007
"Pakistan
buries Red Mosque dead," BBC News, July 12, 2007
Imran Khan, "Musharraf's Massacre:
When Dictators Serve US Interests," counterpunch.org, July 13, 2007
Farhan Bokhari and Jo Johnson, "Pakistan
court reinstates top judge," Financial Times, July 20, 2007
Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, "The plot to bring back Benazir," Guardian, July 21, 2007
Carlotta Gall and Salman Masood, "Bhutto Returns to Pakistan After 8-Year Exile," New York Times,
October 19, 2007
Declan Walsh, "126
dead in suicide bombing as Bhutto returns to Pakistan," Guardian,
October 19, 2007
[Bhutto's return to Pakistan is part of a complex arrangement brokered by
Washington and its allies to ensure that a pro-Western government gains
power after parliamentary elections in about three months' time.--Syed
Saleem Shahzad, "Bhutto
bombing kicks off war on US plan," Asia Times, October 20, 2007]
[She went into self-imposed exile while investigations continued into
millions she had allegedly stashed away into Swiss bank accounts ($1.5
billion by the reckoning of Musharraf's own "National Accountability
Bureau"). . . . Musharraf, who in his first months in power declared it his
express intention to wipe out corruption, has dropped all charges against
her and granted her immunity from prosecution.--Jemima Khan, "Return of
Benazir Bhutto: The Kleptocrat in an Hermes Headscarf," Telegraph,
October 21, 2007]
[And while debate swirls in Pakistan over the possible perpetrators of the
attack, the biggest winner could be the powerful Maulana Fazlur Rehman,
leader of the opposition six-party religious alliance, the Muttahida
Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).--Syed Saleem Shahzad, "US forced
into 'Plan B' for Pakistan," Asia Times, October 24, 2007]
Griff Witte, "Musharraf Declares Emergency Rule in
Pakistan: Constitution Suspended; Chief Judge Fired," Washington
Post, November 4, 2007
Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Helene Cooper, "Musharraf
Leaves White House in Lurch," Washington Post, November 4, 2007
["For more than five months the United States has been trying to orchestrate
a political transition in Pakistan that would manage to somehow keep Gen.
Pervez Musharraf in power without making a mockery of President Bush's
promotion of democracy in the Muslim world. On Saturday, those carefully
laid plans fell apart spectacularly."--Gary Leupp, "General
Musharaff's 'State of Emergency'," counterpunch.org, November 5, 2007]
Syed Saleem Shahzad, "Musharraf plays
his last ace," Asia Times, November 6, 2007
Graham E. Fuller, "ANTI-AMERICAN ISLAMIC NATIONALISM IS BEHIND PAKISTAN
CRISIS," Global Viewpoint, November 8, 2007
Steve Coll, "Miscalculations," New Yorker, November 19, 2007
[Stratfor reported on Monday that the "United States delivered a very clear
ultimatum to Musharraf in the wake of 9/11: Unless Pakistan allowed US
forces to take control of Pakistani nuclear facilities, the United States
would be left with no choice but to destroy those facilities, possibly with
India's help."--Chidanand Rajghatta, "Pak
nukes already under US control: Report," Times of India, November 20, 2007]
Bill Van Auken, "US
steps up plans for military intervention in Pakistan," Global
Research, November 22, 2007
Ahmed Quraishi, "The plan to
topple Pakistan's military," Asia Times, December 6, 2007
[US special forces snatch squads are on standby to seize or disable
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal in the event of a collapse of government
authority or the outbreak of civil war--Ian Bruce, "Special forces on
standby over nuclear threat," Herald, December 31, 2007]