NEW DELHI -- Much before America's declaration of war on terrorism forced Islamabad to turn against its own creation, the Taliban, Pakistan faced an uncertain future. During a four-hour stop in Islamabad in March 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton warned Pakistanis in a televised address about the "obstacles to your progress, including violence and extremism," saying "there is a danger that Pakistan may grow even more isolated, draining even more resources away from the needs of the people, moving even closer to a conflict no one can win."

The events since September 2001 have cast further doubt on Pakistan's political stability and internal cohesion. Almost 55 years after its creation, Pakistan remains a state of five tribes in search of a national identity. The only distinguishing characteristic of the Pakistani state is its obsession with the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir -- an issue that not only helps define Pakistan's identity but also serves as the glue holding its fractious society together.

America's use of the Pakistani military regime against the Taliban is the most bitter pill Pakistan has had to swallow in its history, spurring renewed social ferment and raising the specter of civil and military disturbances striking at the nation's very foundations. The radicalization of Pakistani society, and the ensuing spread of the jihad culture since the 1980s, pose serious regional and international challenges, as Pakistan has both terrorists and nuclear weapons on its territory.