The Future of Pakistan

At the outset of 2011, Pakistan's future looks more uncertain than ever. The country is facing myriad challenges, including a deep-rooted political crisis, a weakening economy buoyed by immense foreign aid, and a hardening of divisions between extremists and moderates. Events during the past month only underscore some of these trends. Examining Pakistan's possible future is subsequently a daunting task. Yet, the country is certain to remain central to U.S. interests and thus such an exercise is necessary for informed U.S. policy making. The Brookings Institution, supported by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and Norwegian Peace Foundation (NOREF), attempted to do so in 2010. The results were in part the Bellagio Papers, a compilation of 15 scholarly writings analyzing various aspects of Pakistan's future.

At this event, the experts involved in the Bellagio project joined other prominent scholars on Pakistan to examine the critical questions regarding Pakistan's future and U.S. interests in the country.

This event featured the following experts:

• Jonah Blank
  Senate Foreign Relations Committee
• Stephen Cohen
  The Brookings Institution
• Wendy Chamberlain
  The Middle East Institute
• Christine Fair
  Georgetown University
• Amb. William Milam
  Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• Shuja Nawaz
  The Atlantic Council
• Bruce Riedel
  The Brookings Institution
• Joshua White
  Johns Hopkins SAIS
• Andrew Wilder
  U.S. Institute of Peace
• Huma Yusuf
  Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• Moeed Yusuf
  U.S. Institute of Peace

Explore Further

• Read "The Future of Pakistan: Event Wrap"
  News Feature By Gordon Lubold | February 1, 2011
• Listen to audio of the event: Panel 1  |  Panel 2  |   Panel 3
• Watch video of the event from C-SPAN
• The Bellagio Papers
• Learn more about USIP's work on Pakistan