Is it likely that the government of Pakistan is trying to delay the onset of proceedings against Raymond A. Davis, the man accused of allegedly killing two motorists on the streets of Lahore? This in order to buy time as back-channel negotiations run up against public sentiment, the natural political deadline in these circumstances? Yes. There are now two parallel proceedings that are on the docket against him–the one that will determine whether he enjoys immunity rights under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and a separate proceeding that will press murder charges against him. Even though his murder trial is underway, both proceedings have been delayed. (A trial delayed is just that!)
If Raymond Davis is denied immunity, Pakistan’s civilian government will suffer a great of prestige and have to deal with a Washington D.C’s dawning unwillingness to put up with President Zardari’s vascillations. In the meanwhile Pakistan’s military and intelligence services are happy to press on with proceedings against Davis; the Pakistani public is squarely for it, as is every other opposition party, standing up against the ruling Pakistan People’s Party. The battle lines have been drawn up: it’s the civilian government in Islamabad against the military’s moves, with some added encouragement from Pakistan’s provincial governments.
Nevertheless, even the military and the opposition, all who still want to work with the leaders and aid agencies in Washington D.C., need to keep their dire opposition against so-called western infringement into Pakistani poltiics somewhat at bay. After all where would Pakistani politics be without U.S and wider western foreign aid? It is more than likely that the moves against Raymond Davis are nothing more than bargaining chips to draw from the U.S. government greater concessions on a quieter military presence in Pakistani cities, a more transparent partnership on U.S military moves against insurgents.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
