In The News

Pakistan's Anniversary Wish – Justice

Ahmed Rashid August 16, 2007
Following a bitter split and violence, Britain's colonial rule over India ended 60 years ago this week, resulting in two independent nations, the Islamic state of Pakistan and the secular state of India. The division left many boundary issues unresolved and institutions in disarray, resulting in fierce nationalism, bitterness and wars. Those challenges, combined with military rule,...

Transcript of Pakistan at the Crossroads – Part II

August 9, 2007
On August 7, more than a month before Ms. Benazir Bhutto announced the date of her return to Pakistan, she sat down with YaleGlobal Online editor Nayan Chanda to discuss the state of her country and why she was determined to return home. She did return as she had said she would, and on December 27, 2007, she was killed in a terrorist attack. It was a death as foretold. Her comment on the task at...

Pakistan at the Crossroads – Part II

Nayan Chanda August 9, 2007
General Pervez Musharraf has been a key ally in the US war on terror, but opposition parties demand free elections as scheduled, even as Pakistan churns with political instability and street violence. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in exile, is among the candidates ready to return to Pakistan and work for stability and moderation. In an exclusive interview with Bhutto – the second part of...

Khomeini's Children

August 3, 2007
The governments of the US and Iran may dismiss each other as great evils, but the youth in Iran may see merit in some American ways. A literate, urbanized youth population, comprising the majority of the post-revolution generation, remains religious and traditional, but is unwilling to forgive Iranian leaders for economic failures. Unemployment, addiction and prostitution are widespread. Although...

A US Alliance With One Man

Paula R. Newberg July 31, 2007
Pakistan, a nuclear power, is in a state of turbulence, confronting instability along its border with Afghanistan and violent militancy in the streets of the capital. A failing government system overshadows and compounds the problems: The Supreme Court reversed a decision by President Pervez Musharraf to dismiss the chief justice; the military has infiltrated the executive branch, society and...

Continued Decline Is Not Inevitable

Marina Ottaway July 31, 2007
Multi-party elections throughout the Middle East may be manipulated, but voters do get a voice. Voters increasingly turn to Islamist parties in seeking reform and satisfying public needs. “Secular parties – that is parties that do not explicitly derive their ideology from Islam, but are not necessarily anti-Islamic or anti-religion – played a central role in Arab politics in the past, writes...

Education the Best Counter for Radicalism

Muhammad Wildan July 30, 2007
Radical Islam is on the rise in Southeast Asia. Muhammad Wildan, a fellow with the Asian Research Institute, argues that the radicalism is a result of local peculiarities rather than incorrect interpretations of Islam. Because globalization has marginalized religion throughout the world, Islam and other religions have lost social authority. Many Muslims embrace salafism, which prohibits modern...