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{
  "authors": [
    "Stephen Tankel"
  ],
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    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
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  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
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Source: Getty

In The Media

The Future of U.S.-Pakistan Relations

Following Pakistan’s recent decision to reopen its border crossings to U.S. and NATO military transit into Afghanistan, the U.S.-Pakistani relationship has improved, but significant challenges remain.

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By Stephen Tankel
Published on Jul 8, 2012
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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.

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Source: Washington Journal

Speaking on the Washington Journal, Carnegie's Stephen Tankel discussed some of the context and consequences of Pakistan's recent decision to re-open its border crossings for U.S. and NATO military transit into Afghanistan. He argued that while this decision was a step forward, the bilateral relationship was still a troubled one. Pakistan desperately needs to normalize its relations with its neighbors and enter into a more transactional, distanced relationship with the United States, he asserted. Tankel also discussed Lashkar-e-Taiba, the jihadi group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attack, and stated that it may gain increasing staying power in Pakistani society if the Pakistani state does not stop its support soon.

About the Author

Stephen Tankel

Former Nonresident Scholar, South Asia Program

Tankel was a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment, where his research focuses on insurgency, terrorism, and the evolution of nonstate armed groups.

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Stephen Tankel
Former Nonresident Scholar, South Asia Program
Stephen Tankel
SecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesSouth AsiaPakistan

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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