No election in Pakistan's history has been followed so closely worldwide as that scheduled for February 18, 2008. There are three main reasons for this: the strategic role of Pakistan in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban; concerns over Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into the hands of extremist Islamist groups; and the recent assassination of former Prime Minister and Leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto. Dr. Toufiq Siddiqi highlights some of the challenges facing U.S.-Pakistan relations in light of the upcoming elections and suggests that whoever emerges victorious after the 18th will be forced to address a litany of critical domestic issues that will dictate the survival of the new government.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the East-West Center or any organization with which the author is affiliated.