Key Current Events
The Bhutto Assassination and Ongoing Political Unrest
A stable, democratic, prosperous Pakistan actively working to counter Islamist militancy is considered vital to U.S. interests. Current top-tier U.S. concerns regarding Pakistan include regional and global terrorism, Afghan stability, and domestic political stability and democratization. Pakistan remains a vital U.S. ally in U.S.-led antiterrorism efforts. Yet the outcomes of U.S. policies toward Pakistan since 9/11, while not devoid of meaningful successes, have seen a failure to neutralize anti-Western militants and reduce religious extremism in that country, a failure to contribute sufficiently to the stabilization of neighboring Afghanistan, and a failure to secure civilian governance and rule of law in…
