Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Experts say EU must help stabilize Pakistan as US worries about itsnuclear arsenal

[caption id="attachment_16117" align="alignleft" width="300"]Pakistan's Independence Day Pakistan's Independence Day[/caption]

Brooke Harrison and Carol Forsloff---Experts have recommended the EU offer support even as the United States is reported to be increasing its surveillance of its ally's nuclear arsenal, as it is said to pose risks because of some of the terrorist groups within its borders.  It has been recommended in the meantime that there should be a long-term focus by the EU on state-building and state-preserving as a consequence.

Atlantic-Community.org's website presents the information from thirty international experts who almost unanimously call for a stronger EU commitment to the stabilization of Pakistan. These perts come from the Brookings Institute, the Carnegie Endowment, the Grench Institute of International Relations, Bradford University, the Islamabad Policy Research Institute and other leading think tanks and universities participated in Atlantic-Community.org's expert survey.

The experts have identified the European Union as best able to support a sustainable engagement in promoting healthy state institutions and a robust culture that help complement both short-term and security conscious US strategies. Experts have observed the US to be less interested or prepared for long-term involvement, whereas the EU is seen as having the capabilities as well as the goodwill of the Pakistani people. Those capabilities include response to risks of terrorism and support in preventing proliferation of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

All of this might be viewed as especially important, considering Pakistan's position as having some Western alliance, while straddling fences at times because of extremist groups that have tried, and accomplished at times, to upset the balance of power within its borders. It also has an important geographical position, bordering on Afghanistan to the Northwest and Iran to the West. The country is critical in terms of its strategic position in the event of a conflict with Iran. In addition the US is said to have ramped up its surveillance of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

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Brooke Harrison is a student of international relations, and retired history instructor with an interest in the present issues of the Middle East with respect to humanitarian concerns who helped provide research and some of the writing for this article.