US Forced to Turn Its Attention From a Man to a Whole Country

The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, looked to a future beyond General Musharraf yesterday, affirming that America's ties to Pakistan went far deeper than the military dictator closely associated with George Bush's "war on terror".

Although Rice paid tribute to Musharraf as "one of the world's most committed partners in the war against terrorism", there was a sense that few in Washington were mourning his departure.

Rice said in a statement: "We will continue to work with the Pakistani government and political leaders and urge them to redouble their focus on Pakistan's future and its most urgent needs, including stemming the growth of extremism, addressing food and energy shortages and improving economic stability."

The general's exit will undoubtedly force changes in how the administration deals with such a strategic region, and how it confronts the global problem of Islamist extremism. But those changes were being discussed before yesterday.

At the very least, the era when Musharraf served as a one-stop shop for American interests in the region is at an end.

As one of the first Muslim leaders to support Washington after 9/11, Musharraf risked alienating his own people by allowing US forces the use of Pakistani military bases. In return he cemented his power with an infusion of $10bn in US aid.

But that partnership had long been seen in Washington to have outlived its utility. No matter who emerges as Musharraf's successor, it was widely acknowledged yesterday that American policy would now need to engage civilian as well as military and intelligence circles in Pakistan.

"Musharraf's departure signals the end of a de facto presidential form of government in Pakistan," said Shuja Nawaz, an analyst in Washington. "He had concentrated power in his own hands by virtue of the fact that he was also head of the military."

In any event, Bush has just 155 days left in the White House. Both his would-be successors, the Democrat Barack Obama and the Republican John McCain, have indicated they would change course after the election.

"Both the Pakistanis and the Americans are going to have to decide what kind of policies they follow with regard to foreign affairs and economics, and that will depend in no small measure on the attitude that the US Congress and a new US president will bring to the entire region," said Paula Newberg, an analyst in Washington.

Obama said yesterday he had long advocated a "move from a 'Musharraf policy' to a Pakistan policy".

"I hope all of Pakistan's friends will now seize the opportunity created by Musharraf's exit to focus on the urgent issues of today: confronting the threat of extremist violence, dealing with food and energy shortages, and helping the Pakistani people build a stable, secure, democratic future," he said in a statement.

McCain, in his statement, also indicated that the relationship with Musharraf had perhaps outlived its value to America. "I hope that the elections for President Musharraf's successor will serve to reconcile the Pakistani people behind a leader who can solidify their government internally," the statement said.

Behind the scenes, the Bush administration had been frustrated for some time with Musharraf. Administration officials began describing the relationship with Pakistan as "complex" and last week state department officials described Musharraf's struggle to hang on to power as an "internal matter".