UPN, Alm.del - 2009-10

The Ongoing War in Afghanistan and Pakistan’sTribal Areas: The Pakistani ViewMonday, 14 June 2010, 13.00-15.00Danish Institute for International StudiesMain AuditoriumStrandgade 71, ground floor, 1401 Copenhagen KBackgroundWith an insurgency in its tribal areas, a campaign of suicide attacks in its major cities, a history ofunstable political and economic institutions, a population living largely in poverty, a difficultrelationship with its immediate neighbours, and a strained security alliance with the United States,Pakistan is facing challenges on a momentous scale. Based on his experience as a general in thePakistani army and director of several government institutions, Major General (retired) SikandarShami will comment on the battle against Islamic extremism from the point of view of Pakistan.From the US-led ‘Jihad’ against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, through theAmerican imposition of crippling sanctions during the 1990s, to the current ‘alliance of necessity’in the battle against Al-Qaida and the Taliban, General Shami will firstly provide a historicalperspective on the difficult relationship between the United States and Pakistan. He will outline thecurrent distrust that continues to strain relations between the two allies and negatively affects theiroperations in the war: while Pakistan is wary of another abandonment of the region – as Americadid after its victory over the Soviets – America accuses Pakistan of playing a double game bycontinuing to protect its assets among the Afghan Taliban. Secondly, he will focus on theperception of Western involvement in the region, as seen by the people of Pakistan as well as thecountry’s independent and often aggressive media. Whether right or wrong, they present Pakistan’schallenges in a light greatly differing from that of the reports coming out of the New York Times orCNN, and if combined with an understanding of Pakistan’s history, they can provide crucialinsights into the country’s current turmoil. In turn, this may offer the basis for a more effectiveengagement by Western leaders.

SpeakerSikander Shami,Major General (R), PakistanProgrammeMore details about the seminar are available on ourwebsitePractical InformationThe seminar will be held inEnglish.Participation isfree of charge,butregistration is required.Please use ouronline registration formno later thanFriday, 11 June 2010 at 12.00 noon.Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.Sincerely,Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)The Conference SectionStrandgade 56DK-1401 Copenhagen KDenmarkPh. (+45) 32 69 87 51Fax (+45) 32 69 87 00E-mail:[email protected]Web:www.diis.dkFeel free to forward this invitation to others with a potential interest in the seminar.For other public DIIS meetings, please visit our website onwww.diis.dk.If you did not receive this invitation directly from DIIS and wish to receive invitations to futureevents at DIIS, please use the following link:www.diis.dk/sw7899.aspIf you no longer wish to receive invitations directly from DIIS, please send an e-mail about this to[email protected](and please remember to state your name and organisation).Please note that DIIS is not responsible for invitations forwarded to you by others.