[Anthropgrad] South Asia Seminar Series

[Fay castles]

*South Asia Seminar Series*
**
*

Thursday 21, May Time 3.30-5.00 pm

Hedley Bull Seminar Room - #2*


     The Cycle of a Triadic Politics and Democracy's Future in Pakistan.
     Ashutosh Mishra, Griffith Asia Institute


Pakistan’s political situation remains fragile and neither the 
international community nor the Pakistani leadership has any substantial 
idea of how to stabilise it. In its 60 years since independence, a 
regular cycle of coups and failed democratic governments has underpinned 
Pakistan’s chronic political instability. Alongside this cycle Pakistan 
has also wafted into extremism with serious risks to its own stability 
and also to regional peace. The international community (primarily the 
United States and NATO) and Pakistani government are pursuing a military 
approach to restore stability which only treats the symptoms but 
overlooks the root causes of the country’s political instability. The 
interplay between the three main political forms of government, military 
dictatorship, democracy, and Islamism—is a constant interdependent cycle 
lying at the core of Pakistan’s political instability more than their 
individual weaknesses and failings. Whether Pakistan can achieve some 
political stability in the future will depend on the success of any of 
the three forms of government moving past the cycle and becoming 
self-sufficient in functioning on its own. In this context it will be 
interesting to assess whether democracy can provide the much needed 
long-term political stability to Pakistan.

*Enquiries:*
Barbara.Nelson at anu.edu.au <mailto:Barbara.Nelson at anu.edu.au>
ext. 50283





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Dr Assa Doron
Research Fellow
Department of Anthropology
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200 Australia
ph: 61-2-6125-3870
fax: 61-2-6125-3023
email: Assa.Doron at anu.edu.au
ANU CRICOS # 00120C

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Fay Castles
Departmental Administrator
Department of Anthropology
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200
+61-2-612 52162  Fax: +61-2-612 53023
Fay.Castles at anu.edu.au
http://rspas.anu.edu.au/anthropology
ANU CRICOS Provider Number: 00120C
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