"What is the standard for a "democratic" regime? Is it a country where every interest group has a say? Is it a country with free and fair elections? Or, is it just a country that supports the Bush administration and its policies?

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's trip to Pakistan is an ideal stage to showcase the answers to these questions.

A military boss -- Gen. Pervez Musharraf -- who claimed power through force in 1999 leads the country. He's recently backed away from his pledge to give up his army post and concentrate on his political office. Yet Pakistan supports the United States in its war against terror."

Get the Story:
Mark Trahant: Complexity of Pakistan growing (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 3/20)

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