Pakistan: Ascending a Path through Regional Turmoil.

摘要

Facing a multitude of internal and external challenges, Pakistan has struggled through a turbulent decade with exigent threats to both its external security and internal stability. Within a highly volatile region, Pakistan is sandwiched between an unstable Afghanistan, a hostile India, a provocative Iran, and an economically unrelenting China. Pakistan's responses to these and other extra-regional influences and emerging internal challenges have concurrently shaped its social, political, economic, and military sectors. Although some progress has been achieved in almost every one of these sectors, the decade also has witnessed the undermining of the credibility of Pakistan's political institutions, further acculturated corruption in many parts of its society, fostered nascent extremism, continued widespread illiteracy, and shaken the public's confidence in the governance of both the civilian as well as the military rulers. This paper examines Pakistan's strategic environment, assesses current and future challenges to its external security and internal stability, and makes recommendations to guide development and progress into the next decade.