When it’s not playing a double-game in the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban—Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, ISI, is an alleged abettor of extremist groups—it’s undermining the weak civilian democracy in Islamabad. Though fears of a coup following President Asif Zardari’s recent departure to Dubai for medical treatment seem unfounded, the military’s domineering role through decades of political turbulence in Pakistan—often buttressed by American support from afar—is well cataloged. In his latest column for TIME, Fareed Zakaria suggests that it’s high time the U.S. sheds its close ties with Pakistan’s top brass.
Armed Camps: Where Militaries Meddle with Democracy
The Egyptian military’s latest attempt to circumvent the results of national elections has stoked scrutiny of the top brass in Cairo. Global Spin looks at countries where the army is currently meddling in politics.