Eye of the storm

Pakistan: Instability in Pakistan puts a region—and U.S. policy makers—on edge | Jill Nelson

Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty Images

Shortly after Pakistan's new president made his first speech to the country's parliament, a massive explosion ripped through the capital's political district. The Sept. 20 truck bombing decimated the Marriott hotel, killing 54 people including three Americans and the Czech ambassador—a grim reminder of the growing volatility in a country that has been a key United States ally in the war on terror. "We are in the eye of the storm," Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said after his inauguration. "I consider that an opportunity."

But this is not just any storm, according to some political analysts, but more ominously, a perfect storm brewing over nuclear-armed Pakistan and its neighbors in Southeast Asia. With coalition forces losing ground in Afghanistan, all eyes are on Pakistan and its porous border in the north—a passageway for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters to cross into Afghanistan. Add that to Pakistan's fledgling economy, increased terror attacks, new leadership after eight years of autocratic rule, and cross-border incursions into Pakistan by U.S. troops, and the mix could be a recipe for even greater chaos.