WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Center for American Progress today released a new report, “Partnership for Progress: Advancing a New Strategy for Prosperity and Stability in Pakistan and the Region,” which outlines a new direction for U.S. policy in Pakistan. The report urges a shift from a short-term, transactional approach to a more comprehensive strategy that places a high priority on Pakistan’s security, economic, and governance challenges. It also emphasizes the importance of the regional dimension when addressing Pakistan’s drivers of instability, and lays out why the new Obama administration must work with Pakistan, its friends, and its neighbors to create a new strategy for enhancing security in Pakistan and the surrounding region.
Authored by Caroline Wadhams, Brian Katulis, Lawrence J. Korb, and Colin Cookman, the report draws upon an advisory working group panel of top regional experts and multiple research trips to the country made by the authors. The report presents important recommendations for a new administration for the region:
- Organize an integrated international response to assist Pakistan‘s economic recovery, support civilian governance, and enhance security in Pakistan and the region.
- Broaden and deepen the strategic relationship between the United States and Pakistan for the long term.
- Support the democratic transition in Pakistan without picking favored candidates or political parties.
- Approach Pakistan’s military establishment in ways that support good governance.
- Enhance transparency and accountability of U.S. assistance funds.
- Reform U.S. national security institutions to better respond to the interlinked challenges facing Pakistan and its neighbors.
Read the full report here.