The assassinations of Benazir Bhutto and supporters of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif last week have thrown Pakistan deep into crisis. The attacks undermine the already-precarious efforts to restore a democratic balance and the rule of law to Pakistan while maintaining an acceptable stability. They also undermine President Pervez Musharraf's already tenuous credibility still further: many suspect that he was involved in the attacks, and if he was not, that he seems to have been powerless to prevent them. As the United States and NATO search for ways to persuade Islamabad to combat al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Pakistani safe havens, these events have plunged Pakistan into a deeper internal crisis.
While the world mourns the loss of Bhutto and her campaign for freedom and democracy, Pakistani politics are teetering on the verge of collapse. Who controls Pakistan? Will parliamentary elections proceed as scheduled this week? What does Bhutto's death mean for restoring democracy in Pakistan and resisting escalating violence by Taliban and al Qaeda extremists? What does this tragedy portend for regional security? What can the United States and NATO do to address al Qaeda and Taliban threats in Pakistan's tribal areas during this crisis? Is Pakistan's nuclear arsenal being adequately safeguarded?
Please join AEI on January 2 to discuss these and other questions. Panelists include Boston University's Husain Haqqani, a former advisor to Bhutto; the Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon; and AEI's Danielle Pletka and Thomas Donnelly. AEI resident scholar Frederick W. Kagan will moderate.
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
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