Pakistan. You name
the problem, Pakistan seems to have it: jihadist terrorism, ethnic strife,
disputed borders, endemic corruption, and a weak government that seems weaker
at every pass. Oh, and it has nuclear weapons, scientists who go on the road to
sell them, and a series of governments that openly back the Taliban, among
other nasty movements. Under President George W. Bush, and then under Obama,
the United States tried to work with Pakistan while at the same time never
trusting it -- a policy mirrored by the regime in Islamabad, which believes
with good reason that the United States is a fickle ally. This unhappy approach
may be the best that can be managed given the lack of strong pro-U.S. voices in
Pakistan, but the prospect for even more serious unrest in Pakistan is of grave
concern. Even worse, Pakistan has tolerated, or supported depending on your
view, terrorist attacks on India, raising the possibility of a war between two
nuclear-armed states. Such a war might leave thousands dead or, if it goes
nuclear, millions. The environmental costs would be global, stunting
agriculture, and posing health problems that would last for generations.
BANARAS KHAN/AFP/GettyImages
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