Whither Pakistan? A five-year forecast

In an article for the Ploughshares-funded Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Pervez Hoodbhoy, a former Ploughshares grantee, insists that despite dire predictions of a Taliban takeover in Pakistan, the country will not break up.  However, he adds, “the speed of societal decline has surprised many who have long warned that religious extremism is devouring Pakistan.”  Hoodbhoy explains “how it all went down the hill” in a clear and concise interpretation of the recent rise of extremism.  He concludes, “For better or for worse, it will be for Pakistanis alone to figure out how to handle this.”