Pakistan is a fascinating but disturbing example of risk assessment by the western media and policymakers, especially when it comes to developments in the Muslim world. There is an enormous amount of public and private discussion of the supposed extreme dangers stemming from Pakistan -- sometimes described, as by the United States nuclear proliferation expert Joe Cirincione -- as 'the most dangerous place on earth'.
Fears are concentrated on the twin threats of Islamist revolution and of the state losing control… more
