Publication

Conventional wisdom regarding the political and military crisis in Afghanistan contends that Pakistan is key to any lasting resolution of the conflict. When US President Barack Obama announced a surge of 30,000 US troops in Afghanistan, he referred to Pakistan’s tribal areas as the epicenter of global terrorism and declared that the country was “at the core” of Washington’s new Afghanistan strategy. However, the authors argue, Pakistan and the US interpret the situation differently and have separate regional agendas. The cooperation of the Pakistani government, therefore, cannot be taken for granted as its military is reluctant to play the role of anvil to the US hammer.