Morning Bell: Surrender Does Not Work
Conn Carroll /
According to Rasmussen Reports, 60% of U.S. voters are now very concerned about the security of nuclear weapons in Pakistan. That number is up 15 points from last August. And they have every right to be concerned. Facing internal pressure from the Pakistan People’s Party, President Asif Ali Zardari approved a deal with the Taliban last month that allowed the establishment of Islamic Sharia law in the Swat region of the country. The results were predictably disastrous.
The government’s capitulation to the Taliban followed the group’s campaign of violence and intimidation, which included the bombing of dozens of girls’ schools, murder of women who declined to stop work, and public beheadings of those accused of spying. The surrender of Swat to the militants occurred despite the overwhelming vote in favor of the secular political party Awami National Party (ANP) in the February 2008 elections.