Author: Ashok Kumar Singh
Publisher: Observer Research Foundation
Year: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 46
ISBN/UPC (if available): N/A
Description
It is easy to dismiss Pakistan as a 'failing state'. Indeed, Pakistan today is a strange, shadowy world where disorder is rapidly gaining ground.
The threat emanating from Pakistan has now been greatly magnified by the fact that semi-autonomous actors from Pakistan's fragmented society have both the capability and the willingness to contest for control of the Pakistani State, as well as to carry their conflict out into the larger world. However, an outright condemnation of Pakistan does not lead us towards a solution. It may be better to try to work towards a comprehensive understanding of the problem.
This essay analyzes the origins and goals of various jihadist groups in Pakistan and describes the changing and expanding landscape of jihadism across the provinces in Pakistan. It argues over the impact of internal political dynamics and the reaction of Pakistan to American pressures on the evaluation of the Pakistani government's thinking about extremism. Another indicated challenge to winning the war on terror is the trust deficit between Pakistan and the U.S. and the divergence in their strategic foreign policy.