Link Banana

Speaking of the rule of law… Noah Feldman says that much of the appeal of Shariah in Muslim countries is based on the idea that it offers justice for all.

The upshot is that the system of Islamic law as it came to exist allowed a great deal of leeway. That is why today’s advocates of Shariah as the source of law are not actually recommending the adoption of a comprehensive legal code derived from or dictated by Shariah — because nothing so comprehensive has ever existed in Islamic history. To the Islamist politicians who advocate it or for the public that supports it, Shariah generally means something else. It means establishing a legal system in which God’s law sets the ground rules, authorizing and validating everyday laws passed by an elected legislature. In other words, for them, Shariah is expected to function as something like a modern constitution.

In Pakistan (title link):

Pakistan appeared to be heading for a transition to an elected civilian government Tuesday after President Pervez Musharraf told visiting United States senators that he accepted the resounding defeat of his party in elections, and would work with a new Parliament.

Less surprisingly, in Cuba:

Fidel Castro stepped down Tuesday morning as the president of Cuba after a long illness. … The resignation ends one of the longest tenures as one of the most all-powerful communist heads of state in the world.