Pakistan is out of friends and out of money
A botched election and an economic crisis show how low it has fallen
PAKISTAN’S ELECTION on February 8th featured state-of-the-art avatars and TikTok videos, but the question it poses evokes an old theme. How long can the country’s relentless decline continue before it triggers a revolution, outside intervention or—hope against hope—political renewal?
For decades the generals have ruled nuclear-armed Pakistan directly or via a stage-managed democracy featuring a recurring cast of corrupt dynastic parties (and the occasional political disrupter). The main political clans agreed to back a new government on February 13th. Unfortunately, after a rigged vote, it begins plagued by illegitimacy and a mounting financial crisis.
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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "Out of friends and money"
Leaders February 17th 2024
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- Europe must hurry to defend itself against Russia—and Donald Trump
- Pakistan is out of friends and out of money
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From the February 17th 2024 edition
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