From public and private conversations she'd had in the days leading up to and since her return to Pakistan, it was clear that Benazir Bhutto was aware that assassination was a real and ever-present possibility. Some pundits today have gone so far as to say it was only a matter of time. But others had hoped that, in the courageous hands of this intelligent, charismatic woman, some order might be restored to Pakistan. Order in Pakistan might lead to a crackdown on the terrorist cells hiding along the country's border with Afghanistan, which would make Afghanistan safer, and perhaps prevent those terrorists from making their way into the Middle East. We can dream, right?
On September 1, 2007, prior to her return to Pakistan, Bhutto wrote this on a Huffington Post blog:
"...in the battle against terrorism, we look on with dismay as the government of Pakistan ceded sections of our nation that previously had been governed by the rule of law to Taliban sympathizers and to Al Qaeda, making Pakistan the Petri dish of the international terrorist movement... But the most dangerous manifestation of this retreat from democracy has been a growing sense of hopelessness of the people of Pakistan, and a total disillusionment with the political system's ability to address their daily problems."
In addition to the many people who are mourning the loss of Benazir Bhutto today, there are some who are quick to point out that "she was no saint." To that, I would respond, there are very few saints in politics. Even JFK had his faults, and frequent Op-Edna visitors know how strongly I feel about his leadership. I don't think whether or not she was a saint is at issue today. I think she had the courage to work towards democracy in nation where lawyers have been thrown in jail just for opposing President Musharraf, and she was a flame of hope for Pakistanis who were unwilling to accept an indefinite period of rule under Musharraf's administration. If in fact her death was inevitable, she put her hopes for Pakistan's future before her own life, which she could have continued to spend in quiet exile with her husband and three children. Some leaders protect their own life at the cost of everyone around them. Bhutto put herself out in the open because it was important that her supporters hear her message directly from her mouth, in person, not behind closed doors in a televised address.
Because of the corruption that pollutes the air surrounding so many world leaders, we often assume that every action they take is out of self-interest or self-preservation. It's hard, understandably so, for us to accept that any action by any politician is genuine anymore. "World Peace" is more often a go-to answer for beauty pageant contestants than it is part of a stump speech or legislation. The very thought of a presidential candidate claiming world peace as a part of his platform is almost laughable.
Benazir Bhutto didn't make world peace her platform; she wanted peace for Pakistan. She wanted to aid in the War on Terror, and she may have been a mighty ally. We won't ever know. She wanted to improve human rights, women's rights, and secure freedom of speech for Pakistanis at a time where newspaper columnists found themselves thrown in jail for writing anything less than praise of Musharraf.
In Pakistan, two of her brothers were murdered, her father, a Prime Minister, was hanged, and her mother was beaten over the head, eventually causing dementia. Yet Benazir came back. Despite all the odds, she believed she might be able to make a change for the better.
On the campaign trail, Barack Obama spoke about a 60-year-old woman he encoutered in a small South Carolina town. The woman, a member of local government, was famous for chanting "Fire it up! Ready to go!" to rally her constituents. Why did this one woman believe her chants would have any effect? She was, after all, only one person. Yet her chants did fire up the crowds in this small town.
Obama said "If one woman can change a town, then one town can change a city. And if a town can change a city, then a city can change a state. And if a city can change a state, then a state can change a country. And, my friends, if a state can change a country, then a country can change the world."
At the end of the day, we may be no closer to world peace than we were at the beginning of it. But if we give up hope entirely and cease to believe that people have the power to change the world, we won't recognize the individuals who could. Total world peace will probably never be achieved so long as life exists. But the world can be a better place than it is today. Benazir Bhutto believed that. Do you?