Pakistan: Partner Against Terrorism

Pakistan: Partner Against Terrorism

The Conflict

In September 2001 Pakistan joined the United States in the campaign against terrorism, abandoning the Taliban government of Afghanistan that had previously been its ally. The position of Pakistan's leader, General Pervez Musharraf, appears to be precarious. Within his own country, Musharraf faces the opposition of militant Muslim organizations and it is unclear whether the powerful Inter-Service Intelligence agency (ISI) or the Pakistani military is fully behind him. Additionally, Pakistan's long-standing conflict with India over the region of Kashmir has seen a recent escalation of tensions, massing of troops, and taunting of nuclear weapons, while questions are raised about whether Pakistani militants are fighting in Kashmir alongside al-Qaeda terrorists, whom Pakistan is supposed to be opposing.

Political

• This was the third U.S.-Pakistani alliance, in a relationship previously defined by the Cold War. Those arrangements ended badly, producing a history that complicates the present relationship.
• Pakistan has been viewed internationally with great skepticism. Its frequent failure to maintain democratic governance and its human rights record have made it something of a pariah in the West.

Economic

• In agreeing to the alliance, Pakistan has secured relief from its international debt payments from the United States, Japan, and the International Monetary Fund.

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