Supporting the Alternative

Former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba is standing trial for stealing his country's money. In 1991, Chiluba represented hope for a democratic Zambia. As the leader of a trade union, he challenged Kenneth Kaunda, a man who had ruled Zambia for the 27 years since independence, for the presidency. When Chiluba won the election, he was championed by the West as one of the leaders of a new African wind of change.

But Chiluba's reign was marred with abuse of power from the outset. The opposition boycotted the 1996 presidential contest. Only strong opposition prevented Chiluba from defying the constitution and running for a third term. While it seems like Chiluba did steal money from his nation's treasury, at the very least, he spent tons of money on personal luxury goods. In the case of Zambia, the alternative did not provide progress. Chiluba was simply supported because he was the alternative to Kaunda's 27 year rule. Not because of his own credentials.

Now, the fear is that the West will back Mir-Hossein Mousavi in Iran against Mahmoud Ahmadienjad simply because Mousavi is the alternative to the confrontational incumbent. Ahmadinejad recently won a dubious election and Mousavi has vowed to fight the result, leading to mass protests against the election process. However, regardless of the name of the president, Ayatollah Khamenei will hold power in Iran, so a push to enter into the realm of Iran's domestic politics would be far riskier than any potential rewards for the U.S.

In Pakistan, the U.S. has entertained the idea of backing Nawaz Sharif for short-sided reasons. Sharif is an alternative to the seemingly-ineffective Asif Ali Zardari, with national appeal and ties to Islamists. Ironically, the U.S. had backed Zardari's late wife Benazir Bhutto simply because she was an alternative to Pervez Musharraf, who had duped the U.S. into giving billions of dollars of aid that went to the military and then to extremists. As you may have guessed the irony does not end there; Musharraf took power in a coup, overthrowing Sharif, and was viewed as a positive alternative to the corrupt Prime Minister.

While short-sided support of the alternative in Pakistan has resulted in a ridiculous merry-go-round of regime change, the policy has not worked much better elsewhere. There are numerous examples of the West and, specifically the U.S., supporting the lesser of two evils only to be wrong in the long run. (International Edition)