While numerous pundits debate the pros and cons of escalation in Afghanistan, some political leaders, including Vice President Biden, have emphasized the need for a greater allocation of resources in Pakistan. Some policymakers and scholars have called for this change well before the current debate over Afghanistan troop levels; one of which is Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)’s Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan and South Asia, Daniel Markey.
In April of 2009, Markey published a policy paper advocating greater involvement with Pakistan. As a number of escalation proponents now argue, Markey’s paper also calls for a shift from the narrow focus on counterterrorism in Afghanistan. Also, while a lot has transpired between the Spring and Fall of 2009, some of the broader policy goals vis-a-vis Pakistan remain valuable. (See page 13.)
Throughout the week, I’ll examine a few of the policy prescriptions in this policy paper, and what they would mean for US security interests in South Asia.
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