Matt Yglesias

The Future of Pakistan Policy

Jane Perlez writes for The New York Times about the behind-the-scenes wrangling in Pakistan over who will succeed Pervez Musharraf as President. The current uncertainty over the future of Pakistani politics — both the question of who will become president, and also the question of how long the current coalition can stick together without a common enemy — underscores the point Caroline Wadhams and Brian Katulis make about the need for a less personalized Pakistan policy. Instead of a relationship with a particular leader or institution, Musharraf or some “new Musharraf” figure, we need a deep relationship with Pakistan that speaks to Pakistani interests in a full-spectrum way.