Whether as Af-Pak or cable news’ favorite villain, Pakistan is often the victim of hyperbole and histrionics. In this context, Steve Coll’s latest article for the New Yorker offers some welcome sobriety and insight. A few key points that don't make it onto the networks: 1) the number of Pakistanis living in poverty fell by almost half between 1999 and 2008; 2) religious parties have never won more than twelve per cent in a national election; and 3) much of the country’s growth has come from smuggling consumer goods to India’s nascent middle class. All of this suggests that, with a sustained economic recovery and some kind of rapprochement with India, Pakistan could become more like Indonesia and less like Afghanistan. The question is will the US support these measures or continue its paradoxical policy of cooperation and smart bombs?
