Beyond Bullets and Bombs: Fixing the U.S. Approach to Development in Pakistan
Fallout from the killing of Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town has prompted an anxious reassessment of all facets of the complex, troubled alliance between the United States and Pakistan. A new report from CGD’s Study Group on U.S. Development Strategy in Pakistan shines light on a crucial and too-often neglected aspect of the relationship: the aid, trade and investment policies that constitute America’s effort to support Pakistan’s development.
The group’s message is alarming, but with a note of optimism. Two years into a new approach to engagement with Pakistan, the authors write, the U.S. development program still lacks coherent priorities, tools to manage and adjust them as conditions require, and a system to measure and report progress. Yet there are signs that the program has laid the foundation to do better—and there is a window of opportunity now to refocus and strengthen the program.
The report authors present the key findings and recommendations and invite comments and questions from a distinguished expert panel and members of the audience. A copy of the full media summary from the report launch is available here.
Introduction by Nancy Birdsall and Molly Kinder
Panel #1 - Getting Back on Track: A focused Aid Strategy
Nancy Birdsall, President, Center for Global Development
Shuja Nawaz, Director of the South Asia Center, Atlantic Council of the United States
Michael Phelan, Senior Professional Staff Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Moeed Yusuf, South Asia Adviser, United States Institue of Peace
Moderated by
David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, New York Times
Panel #2 - The Economic Outlook: Going Beyond Aid to Spur Growth
FeaturingMasood Ahmed, Director of the Middle East and Central Asian Department, International Monetary Fund
Robert Mosbacher, Former President, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Asad Umar, Chairman, Pakistan Business Council
Moderated by
David Rothkopf, Visiting Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Closing Remarks by Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States