No stability

The Guardian writes that the new leaders of Pakistan bring the country no closer to stability: "But although he has finally bowed out - there remained no other option once both the army and the US refused to back his bid to stay in power - Pakistan is not really in any condition to be euphoric. Suicide bombings are rampant, the Taliban have control over parts of the country, and the economy is in free fall. ...  Zardari and Sharif have given the nation ample reason in the past to deeply mistrust their governance. ... So great is their unpopularity that there exists a vociferous segment of Pakistani society that continues to believe that Musharraf was the better option. ... But even among the strongest supporters of democracy there is anxiety about what tomorrow brings. The removal of Musharraf means Sharif and Zardari no longer have common cause, and the jostling for power between them is likely to get very ugly, just when the country most needs them to put aside personal enmities and deal with the problems at hand. ... The fragility of Pakistan's democracy makes the months ahead particularly perilous. If things get worse, as they may well do, it will be easy to blame democracy itself."  

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