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How Pakistan Works
Wednesday 5 December 2007 13:30 to 14:30
Location
Chatham House, London
Participants
Professor Anatol Lieven, Chair of International Relations and Terrorism Studies, King's College London
Chair: Lyse Doucet, BBC
Type: Members event
The speaker will discuss the premise that under the surface volatility of Pakistani politics, the country is much more stable than immediately appears - but for generally bad reasons. He will argue that Pakistani government and politics are dominated by a mixture of the military and closely interwoven landowning clans and urban bosses, who circulate power and patronage between themselves. He will also suggest that the shifts of power can be abrupt and brutal but do not threaten the viability of the underlying system, and that this is threatened by the interaction of two forces: the Islamist revolutionaries, who are genuinely dedicated to overthrowing the system; and the United States, which is in danger of being provoked by the Taliban into losing its head and invading Pakistani territory.
Audio (mp3)
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