Pakistan today is the outcome of first the disastrous collusion of the eighties and early nineties followed by the bloody collision between American foreign policies and self-declared Islamic extremism. Both the collusion and the collision are costing Pakistan dearly.

Pakistan was the world’s most dangerous laboratory for the cold war, and now for the so called U.S. war on terror. It was the U.S. that masterminded the use of an armed political Islamic movement as a counter for Communism. Once the Cold War was over these former fighters, mujaheddin, turned against the Western infidels whom they had never trusted.

Pakistani rulers acquiesced to becoming a recruiting ground for anticommunist Islamic fundamentalism. They fanned the flames of fanaticism, using it to consolidate their legitimacy and prove useful to American foreign policy. Instead of building and consolidating Pakistan’s democratic institutions, they fostered control, repression, fanaticism and subservience: first to American cold war policies, then to the "war on terror.”

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The Israeli Lobby has tremendous influence on American foreign policy. However, that does not mean that Israel runs America, nor that the lobby is behind all American foreign policy.

To begin with, the fact that the Lobby enjoys such power is indicative of the convergence of imperial interests between the ruling American elites and Israel.

Both of these view pan-Arab nationalism as an impediment to their expansionism and their interests. Both Israel and American administrations, to different extents, are driven by colonial foreign policies. The U.S. makes no secret about its drive to control the oil-rich region; Israel views a weak, if not a disintegrated, Arab World as a prerequisite for pursuing expansionist, racist and colonialist policies unchallenged.

If you monitor closely the White House foreign policy hearings on Middle East issues, you would find that the vast majority of “experts” are drawn from major pro-Israeli institutions. These “experts” had been in the forefront of advocates of the invasion of Iraq and currently an attack on Iran.

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I disagree with David's basic assumption that America's intervention aims at fostering democracy in Pakistan. But I do agree with his conclusion that America should take its hands off Pakistan. It is sad that both Musharraf and Mrs. Benazir Bhutto are still trying to prove, each in his /her own way, that he/she can best serve America's interests.

The true heroes of democracy are the lawyers who have braved the army and police brutality to protest the imposed martial law. These lawyers -- unlike most Pakistani leaders vying for power -- did not ask or care about America's permission. They are true nationalists and defenders of the rule of law. They are an inspiration to independent forces for democracy and progress everywhere.

But I doubt that the U.S. will get the message and allow Pakistan and its own people to forge a better future. It is evident from U.S. envoy John Negroponte's visit to Pakistan that Washington sees Musharraf's loss of control as a severe blow to U.S. interests.

If Washington decides to drop Musharraf and endorse Bhutto, instead of supporting power-sharing between the two leaders, it will still not bode well for Pakistan. It is time for Washington to stop trying to control the political process by supporting leaders only if they adhere to its destructive policies.

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