South Asia may be halfway around the globe from the United States, but what happens there—as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, by al-Qaeda tragically underscored—can affect all Americans. The challenge to U.S. policy over the medium term is to design and implement a stable and sustained approach that will solidify bilateral ties with key countries in that region and give the United States an opportunity to influence major regional developments.
The Chairmen's Report of an Independent Task Force on New Priorities in South Asia assesses the strengths and weaknesses of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and recommends how U.S. policy can best take advantage of the opportunities while addressing the dangers that are present. The report urges new initiatives to solidify the partnership with an economically and militarily stronger India; carefully calibrated support for Pakistan in its efforts to become a moderate Muslim state; a more active, facilitative U.S. role in the volatile Kashmir conflict; a new framework for—and a close watch on—proliferation issues in the region; and redoubled support for the Hamid Karzai government's security initiatives in Afghanistan.
The Task Force—chaired by former U.S. Ambassador to India Frank G. Wisner II, former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Nicholas Platt, and President of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations Marshall M. Bouton—benefited from the expertise of more than fifty members with a wide range of expertise in government, business and finance, the law, and academe.