Cole opposed the Pervez Musharraf regime , which he blames for cracking down on democracy activists , while simultaneously allowing Islamists based in Pakistan 's North-West Frontier Province ( now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ) to consolidate and expand their political power . He points out that Musharraf is actually a " hawk " with respect to India ( in contrast to the government of Nawaz Sharif , which had made overtures to it before the coup ) , and cancelled a special-forces operation aimed at killing Osama bin Laden . ( The operation had been urged by President Bill Clinton , and if successful , might have prevented the September 11 attacks . ) Cole also censures the George W. Bush administration for not pushing for democratization in Pakistan . Such a development would not threaten U.S. interests , he writes , since whenever elections have been held , Taliban-like movements have not received much support from voters . On the contrary , the danger is that U.S. support for Musharraf may alienate middle-class Pakistanis . Cole is also on the Editorial Board of '' Pakistaniaat ''
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Juan Cole