Anthony Barnett (London, OK): Over on oD's terrorism section Kanishk has written an immediate response to Bhutto's assassination and its likely consequences. One of these, he suggests, is "casual over-simplification". Like his much to be recommended security alerts, OK is also dedicated to combat the way we colonise ourselves with clichés. Here is Kanishk's conclusion:
Already, Bhutto's death is swallowed in the sound and fury of the "war on terrorism". Musharraf and Pakistani officials have blamed her murder on Islamist militants, just as they justified November's emergency rule on the threat posed by jihadists. So too have governments around the world - including those in Washington and New Delhi - used today's tragic events to urge more vigorous action against terrorists.
Terrorism in Pakistan and elsewhere must be tackled head-on. But the killing of Benazir Bhutto amounts to more than the martyring of a modern democrat by the forces of intolerance and extremism. In the coming weeks, one cannot afford to lose sight of the specifics of Pakistani politics - darker and more difficult though they may be - in the face of casual over-simplification.
