Quite indeed, the political pressure imposed by the United States may be matched or even overshadowed by the political pressures instigated by its own populace. One may deduce in fact that there are substantial sectors of the population which if not supportive of extremism or participating and funding in any such activities, may nonetheless find some sympathy for the idea that political and economic causes are the primary impetuses for acts of 'terrorism.' Nonetheless, Pakistan's opportunity for growth and improvement does hinge on these efforts, at least according to the United States. Even under new leadership, the U.S. has continued to make its Pakistan policy contingent upon the country's approach to its own terrorism problem. Accordingly, "U.S. President Barack Obama has said a U.S. non-military aid package to Pakistan worth $1.5 billion a year is conditional on the government cracking down on Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in regions bordering Afghanistan." (Tigue & Qayum, 1)

The contradictory pressures of western and domestic ideals as found in this particular South Asian nation help to capture a larger duality in the war currently engaging the developing and western worlds. Pakistan is an important theatre today for divergent impulses, as both a reluctant ally of the globalizing coalition of modern states and a home for millions of tribal, Islamic hardliners. This is only one of a host of internal nuances which make Pakistan unique amongst its neighbors. Growing and modernizing, though ever so slowly, Pakistan may likewise yet have the potential to slide back into the role of a theocratic and extremist state. In these regards, the Islamic...

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