Islam and the Paths of Pakistan’s Political Development

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  "authors": [
    "Petr Topychkanov"
  ],
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  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "democracy",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center",
  "programAffiliation": "DCG",
  "programs": [
    "Democracy, Conflict, and Governance",
    "South Asia"
  ],
  "projects": [
    "Eurasia in Transition"
  ],
  "regions": [
    "South Asia",
    "Afghanistan",
    "Pakistan"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Economy",
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Other

Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Islam and the Paths of Pakistan’s Political Development

Islam alone will not aid Pakistan’s political development; instead, national stability will improve with better administrative, security, economic, and social services.

By Petr Topychkanov

Published on May 7, 2009

Program

Democracy, Conflict, and Governance

The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on global democracy, conflict, and governance. It analyzes and seeks to improve international efforts to reduce democratic backsliding, mitigate conflict and violence, overcome political polarization, promote gender equality, and advance pro-democratic uses of new technologies.

Learn More

Program

South Asia

The South Asia Program informs policy debates relating to the region’s security, economy, and political development. From strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific to India’s internal dynamics and U.S. engagement with the region, the program offers in-depth, rigorous research and analysis on South Asia’s most critical challenges.

Learn More

Project

Eurasia in Transition

Learn More

This paper analyzes the current situation in Pakistan through the prism of the country’s historical experience, proposing new approaches to the threats to Pakistan’s territorial integrity and the stability and security of South Asia as a whole.

Conventional political science labels, such as authoritarianism, democracy, Islamism and secularism, are of little use when applied to Pakistan. “Pakistan’s history shows that giving priority to Islam can be combined with a democratic system of government, as well as with an authoritarian regime,” Topychkanov writes. Islam’s supremacy in Pakistani society has manifested itself primarily through Muslim nationalism and Islamic socialism, as well as through various radical forms of Islamic ideology. Experiments with Islam, which is the foundation of the country’s national identity, are therefore not the solution to Pakistan’s problems. Resolving these problems requires comprehensive solutions that encompass the political, economic and social spheres.

Pakistan’s history shows that giving priority to Islam can be combined with a democratic system of government, as well as with an authoritarian regime.

Topychkanov also notes that the external environment, particularly problems in Afghanistan, has had a negative impact on Pakistan’s political development. Protracted or failed operations of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan would strengthen pro-Taliban forces in Pakistan, while stabilization in Afghanistan would help weaken these groups and stop the rise of support for religious extremism. The escalation of tensions between Pakistan and India also contributes to the spread of extremism in Pakistan.

Topychkanov proposes a number of policy approaches, suggesting that the planning and implementation of aid programs for Pakistan should meet three main criteria:

they must be oriented towards the long term
be strictly controlled at all stages
be targeted.

About the Author

Petr Topychkanov

Former Fellow, Nonproliferation Program, Moscow Center

Topychkanov was a fellow in the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Nonproliferation Program.

Recent Work

Report
Entanglement: Chinese and Russian Perspectives on Non-nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Risks
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- Petr Topychkanov

Political Reform Democracy Economy Security South Asia Afghanistan Pakistan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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