US/PAKISTAN: Taliban Tests Fragile Coalition Gov't

By Ali Gharib WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (IPS) - When Pakistani president and former military dictator Gen. Pervez Musharraf stepped down on Monday, it marked the official end of the flawed Pakistan policy of the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. But the next chapter in the complicated relationship remains uncertain and likely will take time and patience from the U.S. to patch together. Musharraf, who rose to power with a military coup in 1999, was forced to step down after a long slide that ended with impeachment threats from the young, democratically elected government. Ten months after he declared a state of emergency and dismissed the country's Supreme Court in an effort to stymie threats to his power, Musharraf bowed to pressure from Pakistan's six-month-old civilian government and ceded his position. According to... [read full story]