South Asia’s Elections and Governance: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India

This event will be broadcast live on CSPAN.org »

Spring 2014 marks a momentous period for governance and stability in South Asia. Afghanistan’s presidential and local elections on April 5 were an important first step in the complex process of power transfer in the country, which will critically influence its post-2014 future and regional dynamics. Conducted from April 7 to May 12, India’s parliamentary elections will bring in a new government that too will face some tough governance challenges amid a deep restructuring of the country’s domestic political landscape and a slowing economy. The developments in both countries are interlinked with the security, political, and governance dynamics in Pakistan. Last year, Pakistan experienced its first democratic transfer of power, but the governance and security challenges it needs to confront continue to be deep and complex.

On April 24, the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence will host a panel discussion assessing the implications of Afghanistan’s and India’s elections for governance in the two countries and for the bilateral and trilateral relationships among Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, as well as for U.S. policy. The panelists will include former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Teresita Schaffer, and Brookings Senior Fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown. Michael O’Hanlon, director of research for Foreign Policy at Brookings, will moderate.

Following their discussion, the panelists will take questions from the audience.