PAKISTAN ON THE EDGE CBC 2007 12 30 avi

PAKISTAN ON THE EDGE CBC  2007 12  30 avi

Our World

What ghastly days these have been for Pakistan following Benazir Bhutto's assassination! And what a grim shock for an already crisis-weary world, which did not need more hair-raising turmoil, and even speculation about possible civil war, in what's often called "the most dangerous place on earth".

One can scarcely imagine a more volatile mix of explosive dangers than Pakistan. It's a nuclear power with 165 million people and a potential flashpoint for conflicts that can affect the whole of Central Asia and the Middle East - perhaps the whole world. So we've every right to be very concerned about what happens next.

In this week's show, we look beyond the assassination and ask what can be done, for in crises like this it's always wise to seek out the calm voices in a storm; those who have a strong historical grasp of the situation and take the long view of events. That's what we do in part two of our show in an in-depth interview with Akbar Ahmed, a highly respected former Pakistani diplomat, author and professor of international relations at American University in Washington, DC.

But we start with a reminder of the high stakes involved for other nations - Canada most definitely included - and an item Brian did for the National immediately following the assassination.