Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in 2007, just after she returned from exile in the hopes of becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan for the third time. She had held the position for the first time in the 1980’s, and then again in the 90’s. When she was still in exile, unsure whether she would ever return to Pakistan to run again, Bhutto sat down with the Academy of Achievement for a long and candid interview. In this episode of What It Takes, you’ll hear the highlights of that conversation. She describes how her childhood fed her belief in democracy and women’s rights, as well as her abhorrence of violence and poverty. She talks openly about the failings of her leadership when she was Prime Minister and the lessons they taught her. It is haunting to hear Benazir Bhutto’s profound words here and know that Pakistan might have been on a different course were she still alive.
“I feel that society is like a canvas, and that if you get into office you're given an opportunity to paint it. And it's up to you whether you make a good picture or whether you make a bad picture.”

Production music "The Long Goodbye" by John Pazdan
ccmixter.org/files/flatwound/14476 CC Attribution

(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2015