THE QUESTION

After Benazir Bhutto's assassination on Thursday, what's next for Pakistan?

Posted by David Ignatius on December 27, 2007 11:21 AM

FROM THE PANEL

Mona Eltahawy is an award-winning syndicated columnist and an international lecturer on Arab and Muslim issues. Before she moved to the U.S. in 2000, she was a news reporter in the Middle East, including in Cairo and Jerusalem as a Reuters correspondent. She also reported from the region for Britain's The Guardian and U.S. News and World Report. She has lived in Egypt, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, and is currently based in New York.

Pakistan's Hope Under House Arrest

The best way to honor a Muslim woman leader is to support others who embody such liberal ideals. In Pakistan today, such ideals are under house arrest and in the country’s jails.

Mona Eltahawy New York City, NY, USA | 20 COMMENTS
Dec 29, 2007 at 12:51 PM
Kayhan Barzegar is a Research Fellow at the Belfer Center, Harvard university's Kennedy School of Government. He teaches international relations and Iran's foreign policy in Tehran. In 2002-2003, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the London School of Economics (LSE). His Latest publications entitled: Iran's Foreign Policy towards the New Iraq (CSR Publications: 2007), Iran’s Foreign Policy toward Iraq and Syria, (Turkish Policy Quarterly: 2007), and New Terrorism and Human Security in the Middle East: Diverging Perceptions (Book chapter, Wageningen Academic Publishers: 2007). His research fields are Iran’s foreign policy, Iran-U.S. relations, and Middle East politics.

Blame the Unfinished Afghan War

Bhutto’s death signals the dangers of our unfinished war in Afghanistan.

Kayhan Barzegar Tehran, Iran | 14 COMMENTS
Dec 28, 2007 at 12:21 PM
Vivian Salama is an award winning reporter, producer and blogger. She has reported for various publications from across the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Balkans, the United States and North and South Korea. She has also appeared as a commentator on the BBC, South African Broadcasting Corp., Iran's Press TV, NPR and as a reporter for Voice of America radio. A native of New York, Salama is currently based in Dubai where she reports for The National. Salama has an MA in Islamic Politics from Columbia University and she previously worked as a lecturer of international journalism at Rutgers University.

Caution: Civil Unrest Ahead

Don’t overlook the real issue: the growing strength of the radical movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan alike.

Vivian Salama USA/Middle East | 6 COMMENTS
Dec 28, 2007 at 11:34 AM
Dr. Ali Ettefagh serves as a director of Highmore Global Corporation, an investment company in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, CIS, and the Middle East. He is the co-author of several books on trade conflict, resolution of international trade disputes, conflicts in letters of credit, trade-related banking transactions, sovereign debt, arbitration and dispute resolutions and publications specific to the oil and gas, communication, aviation and finance sectors. Dr. Ettefagh is a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of The Development Foundation, an advisor to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and an advisor to a number of European companies. Dr. Ettefagh speaks Persian (Farsi), English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish.

Pakistan Searches for 'Plan B'

As I see it, every new leader in Pakistan’s history has gained power by coup or assassination.

Ali Ettefagh Tehran, Iran | 13 COMMENTS
Dec 27, 2007 at 5:46 PM
Bashir Goth is a veteran journalist, freelance writer, the first Somali blogger and editor of a leading news website. He is also a regular contributor to major Middle Eastern and African newspapers and online journals.

Not Just Pakistan's Problem

Islamist extremists who can pull off such a daring and coordinated assassination could easily do so in other parts of the world.

Bashir Goth Somalia/UAE | 10 COMMENTS
Dec 27, 2007 at 5:29 PM
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist. He was born in Jerusalem in 1955. Presently he is a visiting professor at Princeton University in the United States. Mr. Kuttab is the former director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in Ramallah, Palestine and the founder of AmmanNet, the Arab world's first internet radio station. His personal web page is www.daoudkuttab.com

Bhutto's Death Raises Larger Issues

Expect rumors and conspiracy theories, and deeper questions about just how committed the U.S. is to democratic change in Pakistan.

Daoud Kuttab Princeton, NJ | 9 COMMENTS
Dec 27, 2007 at 4:31 PM
Originally from Pakistan, Anwer Sher is based in Dubai and writes for Gulf News, Khaleej Times and Emirates Today. His varied career experience includes banking, consulting, and real estate development. He has a Masters degree in International Relations.

Worst Is Yet to Come For Pakistan

Bhutto's assassination is likely to postpone January elections and hasten Musharraf's removal - through legal or or illegal means.

Anwer Sher Dubai, UAE | 43 COMMENTS
Dec 27, 2007 at 2:30 PM
Yossi Melman is a senior commentator for the Israeli daily Haaretz. He specializes in intelligence, security, terrorism and strategic issues. An author of seven books on these topics, his most recent book, The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran was published recently by Carroll & Graf.

Bhutto Conspiracy Theories Will Thrive

The most astounding aspect of the assassination is her security detail’s negligence. Theories will abound as to why.

Yossi Melman Tel Aviv, Israel | 35 COMMENTS
Dec 27, 2007 at 2:28 PM
Saul Singer is Editorial Page Editor and author of the weekly column “Interesting Times” for the Jerusalem Post. He is the author of Confronting Jihad: Israel's Struggle and the World After 9/11. Before moving to Israel from the Washington area in 1994, Mr. Singer served for ten years as an advisor on the personal and committee staffs of the United States Congress, including the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senate Banking Committee, and Senator Connie Mack.

To Help Pakistan, Fight Iran

The most important thing the West can do to help Pakistan and all other Muslim countries, themselves torn between battling and appeasing the jihadis, is to stand up to jihadi central: Iran.

Saul Singer Jerusalem, Israel | 134 COMMENTS
Dec 27, 2007 at 1:36 PM

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