A panel of political science experts insisted that the next president create a more harmonious and mutually respectful relationship with Pakistan Monday night at Harvard University.
Maleeha Lodhi, an Institute of Politics Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and former Pakistani’ Ambassador to the United States, moderated the discussion and spoke about the relationship between the two countries.
‘This is a relationship that has been characterized by almost predictable cycles of engagement and estrangement,’ she said. ‘Currently there is a trust deficit; the relationship exists only at the leadership level, the public and media hold each other with distrust and at times hostility.’
Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said the next president will have an opportunity to mend relations with Pakistan after the United States’ reputation suffered a hit for American support of the unpopular President Pervez Musharraf.
Hassan Abbas, a Kennedy School Belfer Center fellow and author, said the next U.S. president must approach tribal areas of Pakistan that contain Taliban fighters differently.
‘What is at stake is four more years of Bush policies or a change,’ he said. ‘Will we continue bombings, or will we pursue dialogue?’
Boston University Frederick Pardee Center teaching fellow Moeed Yusuf said there are fundamental disagreements between the countries regarding the War on Terror.
‘There is a divergence of opinion; diplomacy is not squaring up between Islamabad and Washington,’ he said. ‘Is the only solution a military solution? If so, Pakistan won’t be able to play this game for very long.’
Rodney Jones, a’ specialist in South Asian security and nuclear issues, said the presidential candidates have not developed different stances on Pakistani relations.
‘What’s really important is that the people coming into power form a fresh perspective,’ he said.
Zahid Hussain, a Pakistan correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, The Times of London and Newsweek, said it is most important for the next U.S. president to win the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people.
‘ ‘There is a feeling of ‘what next’ among the people,’ he said. ‘If you lose the hearts and minds of the people, you can’t win this war.’
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
