At the NATO summit in Chicago, the much hoped-for deal between the United States and Pakistan to reopen NATO supply routes through Pakistan did not materialize. The experience of the closure and the negotiations has laid bare the changed relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan.

Although problems in Pakistan are of that country's own making, U.S. interference has only made them worse.

In response to New Delhi's contingency plans to retaliate with conventional arms following possible future terrorist attacks emanating from Pakistan, Islamabad is preparing to field tactical nuclear weapons.

Until the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the American view of radical Islam and its many discontents was shaped more by the Middle East than South Asia. The U.S. has long been at odds with the raging Ayatollah in Iran, the murderous truck bomber in Lebanon and the masked Palestinian "freedom...

One possible response to what is colloquially known as Pakistan's double game--fighting some terrorists while helping others--is to move from a strategy of engagement to one of containment.

The country would be richer, safer, more democratic and better regarded without the bomb.

Many see Pakistan as the abettor of terror, but browse Pakistan's newspapers or news channels and another story emerges. Decoding this narrative of victimhood is crucial to any long-term victory in this central front of the war on terror.

A charismatic envoy's sudden downfall is the chance for Washington to move from engagement with Islamabad to containment.