strategy for Pakistan, we need to know how close (or far) it is to the abyss of failure, nuclear nightmare, or revolution how to assess its potential for reform and growth and how to anticipate the interests and ambitions of its people. At other times, similarly faulty American assumptions led Washington's policymakers to perceive – and portray – Pakistan as if it stood just at the edge of violent Islamist revolution. They failed to perceive how deeply entrenched was the army's power, and how limited was the liberal impulse and capacity of Pakistan's ruling politicians and their constituents. For instance, in 2008 and 2009, many in Washington dreamt that Islamabad's newly elected civilian leaders could implement a liberal agenda and finally rein in Pakistan's military after President (and former General) Pervez Musharraf left the scene. In Washington, views of Pakistan seem to swing like a pendulum between the extremes of ungrounded exuberance and overstated fear. policymakers made incorrect assumptions about how Pakistan works. Too often over the past decade, America has stumbled in its dealings with Pakistan because U.S. Understanding Pakistan on its own terms is no mere academic pursuit.
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