Pakistan-U.S. Relations: The Next Steps, The Idea of Pakistan

Pakistan-U.S. Relations (3:30pm – 4:30pm): Ambassador Jehangir Karamat, Pakistan’s newly appointed envoy to the United States, delivered a speech on Pakistan’s relations with the United States. His remarks addressed the state of the relationship as it exists today and its future as well.

Amb. Karamat has previously held the posts of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Army Staff in Pakistan and has also been a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and at CISAC, Stanford University. He was introduced by Brookings President Strobe Talbott and took questions from the audience following his remarks.

The Idea of Pakistan (4:45pm – 5:45pm): Stephen P. Cohen briefly discussed the purpose and structure of his latest book, The Idea of Pakistan, which offers a panoramic portrait and history of the country and outlines a range of scenarios for its future and that of its relationship with the United States.

He was joined by two experts on the region—Dr. Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and professor of international relations at American University, and Dr. Marvin G. Weinbaum, scholar-in-residence at the Public Policy Center of The Middle East Institute. They discussed recent developments in Pakistan, recent U.S. policy toward the country, and took questions afterward.