Is Pakistan Ripe for an Islamic Revolution?

Making News

Will Bush Officials Be Investigated for Torture after All? ()

President Obama said today that the US “lost our moral bearings” with brutal interrogations of terror suspects. He hinted that his administration might take legal action. The President also called on Congress to deal with the issue in a ”bi-partisan fashion.” Greg Miller is national security correspondent for the Los Angeles Times.

Guests:

• Greg Miller: National Security Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, @gregpmiller

Links:

• Obama's remarks at CIA headquarters yesterday

Main Topic

Is Pakistan Ripe for an Islamic Revolution? ()

In Pakistan's Swat Valley on Sunday, militant Islamist leader Sufi Mohammed bluntly defied the country's secular government and its system of laws. As to its democratic institutions, he said, "supporting an infidel system is a great sin," and he laid out a plan to bring "a complete Islamic system" to Pakistan. Such Taliban-style militants are assuming control in Pakistan's northwest provinces, openly promising to take over the rest of the country. Despite brutal enforcement of Islamic law, the secular government seems powerless against determined radicals exploiting poverty, class hatreds and decades of corruption. The US has vital interests in a region where both Pakistan and India have nuclear arms. We hear mounting concern about instability with international consequences. 

Guests:

• Samina Ahmed: Head of the South Asia Office, International Crisis Group
• Khadim Hussain: Organizer, Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy
• Marvin Weinbaum: Senior Scholar, Middle East Institute
• Christine Fair: Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation, @CChristineFair

Links:

• New York Times article on Taliban exploiting class rifts in Pakistan
• Pakistan's militant jihadi challenge, International Crisis Group report on
• Pakistan's militant jihadi challenge, International Crisis Group report on

Reporter's Notebook

Cheney Takes to the Airwaves (Again) to Criticize Obama ()

George Bush is maintaining the tradition of silence for presidents and vice-presidents recently out of office. Not so Dick Cheney. The former Vice President is waging what one reporter called a “one-man assault on President Obama,” with condemnations of policies and personal behavior. Bart Gellman, Pulitzer Prize-winning national correspondent for the Washington Post, is author of Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency.

Guests:

• Bart Gellman: National Correspondent, Washington Post, @bartongellman