Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been killed today after holding a rally among supporters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. After shots were fired at her vehicle a suicide bomber detonated, killing many others. Bhutto led opposition to President Pervez Mushariff who just a few days ago lifted martial law. You can look for a return to martial law in the wake of this tragedy.

Stratfor offered this insight:  "Given the modus operandi, it is likely the work of jihadists linked with the Taliban and/or al Qaeda. This assassination could not have been possible without the jihadists being enabled by elements within the government because both the jihadists and many within the regime fear the possibility of Bhutto's party emerging strong in the Jan. 8 polls. This attack further highlights the murky links between Islamist militants and elements within the Pakistani security/intelligence establishment."

Pakistan is a nuclear nation. Any unrest that threatens the stable control of those weapons is a threat to the rest of the Middle East. A stable Pakistan is a linchpin of Western policy in the region.