Osama bin Laden’s death has focused even greater attention on the very important but very complex US-Pakistan relationship. The East-West Center’s first Pakistan-US Journalists Exchange that ended two weeks ago gave eight Pakistani and five American journalists the opportunity to visit each other’s country and learn firsthand how complicated that relationship is. This MediaLine focuses on Pakistan-US issues.

HEADLINES:

• Pakistan, US journalists react to Osama bin Laden’s death, analyze impact
• Journalists explore complex Pakistan-US relations in exchange program
• Examining the root causes of extremism in Pakistan
• Pakistanis share media challenges with Missouri School of Journalism students
• Resources on Pakistan-US issues

In the aftermath of Osama bin Laden’s death, journalists who just completed the East-West Center’s Pakistan-US Journalists Exchange commented briefly on these four issues:

• What is the public reaction in your city/area?
• What do you think the impact may be on domestic politics in Pakistan/the U.S?
• What impact is this likely to have on future US-Pakistan relations?
• What is the likely impact on the war in Afghanistan and more broadly the war on terror?

Syed Wiqas Ahmad

Assistant controller news, Khyber TV Channel
Peshawar, Pakistan and former Afghanistan-based correspondent

“To be frank, in my area people have shown sympathy towards the killed Osama. When he was living these people blamed him for the mess here. It reminds me of the death of Julius Caesar when the dead body softens the hearts of enemies.”

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Pakistan journalists join an interfaith Palm Sunday service in Columbia, Missouri.

The East-West Center’s first Pakistan-United States Journalists Exchange that ended two weeks ago gave eight Pakistani and five American journalists the opportunity to visit each other’s country and learn firsthand how complicated the relationship between their two countries is.  This important program was made possible with funding from the U.S. Embassy Islamabad. Continue Reading »

From the East-West Wire news service:

HONOLULU (May 10, 2011) — Extremism in Pakistan cannot be defeated until the Pakistani government, as well as its uneasy ally the United States, focus on addressing the underlying causes of rising militancy, according to Pakistani and American journalists who participated in the East-West Center’s inaugural Pakistan-U.S. Journalists Exchange last month.

“You can kill or arrest terrorists, but the extremist mindset is the real problem, and you need to look at the causes behind that,” said Malik Arshad Aziz, an editor at the Daily Aaj in Peshawar, a city that is on the front lines of military action against Taliban militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. “In Pakistan, we have an energy problem; we have poverty, unemployment, lack of education. When you solve these problems, the extremist organizations will be finished.”

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Pakistan Defense Forces:

• Price of Peace: Documents the human and material impact of the Afghan War and the War on Terrorism on Pakistan. Notes the high price Pakistan has paid and calls for a global “Marshall Plan” to help rebuild and restore Pakistan’s economy and society. Running time: 14:22 (Internet Explorer recommended to view)
• Wana Olives: History of Pakistani military’s involvement in the war on terrorism and its efforts to bring development to the tribal regions. Running time: 23:14 (Internet Explorer recommended to view)

G. Shabbir Cheema, Senior Fellow, East-West Center

• Democracy in the Muslim World: What Have We Learned from the U.S. Engagement in Pakistan?
• After Bin Laden, Key U.S.-Pakistan Questions

Pew Research Center

• Pew Presentation on US Views for Pakistan-US Journalists Exchange

• Concern About Extremist Threat Slips in Pakistan — America’s Image Remains Poor

• Public Remains Conflicted Over Islam

Council on Foreign Relations

• Interactive Timeline of Pakistan-US Relations

Center for Global Development

• What the United States spends in Pakistan
• Friend or Foe: Should the United States Cut Aid to Pakistan?

HONOLULU (May 2, 2011) – The U.S. discovery and killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan has resulted in intensified focus on the crucial but troubled relationship between the two nations.

East-West Center research fellow Dr. Shabbir Cheema is available to comment on such issues as possible impact of the Bin Laden operation on U.S.-Pakistan relations going forward, as well as reactions within Pakistan itself. Dr. Cheema, who is originally from Pakistan and previously directed governance programs at the United Nations, is an expert on Pakistani political affairs and international relations. Continue Reading »