Pakistan

In light of the earthquake in India and Pakistan, the question of the latter's political stability, should be a topic of national importance. Its' recent role in the War on Terror has been tenuous at best. Questions have arisen due to the military's, historically, predominate role in the civilian government, its espionage services' covert support of Islamic radicals, and President General Pervez Musharraf's tenuous hold over this strategically important country. Articles about this issue are few and far between, but EurasiaNet offers this:

Full article found here at EurasiaNet.

EURASIA INSIGHT

WHAT IF ISLAMIC REVOLUTION OCCURS IN PAKISTAN? Mark N. Katz 1/26/05 A EurasiaNet Commentary

.... The potential replacement of the Musharraf regime by an Islamist-dominated government in Pakistan could cause enormous problems for the United States. Under a revolutionary scenario, not only would Islamabad cease to cooperate with the American military effort in Afghanistan, but it could easily supply Taliban forces with enough manpower and materiel to make this military effort far more difficult than it is now. A radical Islamic takeover in Pakistan could similarly invigorate the Uighur separatist movement in China’'s Xinjiang Province. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Sunni radicals have exhibited strong anti-Shia tendencies. Thus, an Islamic revolutionary regime in Islamabad could cause a spike in Pakistani-Iranian tension.

The enormous problems that Washington now faces in Afghanistan and Iraq could look small indeed compared to the problems the United States could face if Pakistan is embroiled in an Islamic revolution. Ousting a radical Islamic regime in Pakistan would likely prove far more difficult for the United States to accomplish than it was to topple authoritarian regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is because Pakistan not only has a much larger population and a much larger and more sophisticated military establishment, but also because it possesses nuclear weapons. With direct military intervention not likely to be an option, Washington would have to fall back on a strategy of containment in order to prevent Pakistan from Islamic radical ideas....

The history of Pakistan has been a sad tale of democracy overturned, a military unwilling to subordinate itself to a civilian government, military coups, and war against its neighbor India. An Islamic revolution would be just another chapter in its violent history, but a tragedy for its people and for U.S. foreign policy.

Additional Links can be found here, at YesPakistan.