A Conversation with Ambassador Ali Siddiqui

The event will NOT be webcast live.

For better or for worse, the United States has often looked at Pakistan through the distorted lens of Afghanistan. Pakistan is six times the size of Afghanistan by geography, and its population size puts it in the same tier of Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Nigeria. And while the United States has a multidimensional bilateral relationship with these countries, the U.S.-Pakistan relationship continues to be a uni-dimensional one. It predominantly focuses on military cooperation with security interests overriding and crowding out every other issue of importance. As the U.S. changes its posture in Afghanistan over the next couple of years, its relationship with Pakistan will need a new framework that is deeper, multidimensional, and independent of Afghanistan.

But what are the contours of a re-calibrated and expanded U.S.-Pakistan relationship?

Pakistan has a newly elected government led by Imran Khan. Home to the fifth largest youth population in the world, Pakistan can leverage its youth bulge and seize its enormous economic growth potential. The government's failure to act strategically could be detrimental to the growing youth population. In addition to its demographic potential, Pakistan has vast pools of untapped natural resources. Despite these clear economic growth opportunities and larger strategic interests, the prevailing consensus in Washington on U.S.-Pakistani affairs continues to focus on security and intelligence.

Therefore, CSIS is convening this event with Pakistan’s Ambassador for Foreign Investment, Ali Siddiqui, to initiate a long-term dialogue around a re-calibrated and expanded U.S.-Pakistan relationship.