Pardee Fellow Presents on Militancy in Pakistan

Pardee Center Research Fellow Moeed Yusuf made a presentation on societal perceptions towards militancy in Pakistan at a workshop on Islamic Extremism and Militancy in Pakistan sponsored by the National Intelligence Council. The workshop was held in Washington, D.C. on October 5, 2009.

Moeed’s presentation, titled The Absence of a Grassroots Movement Against Militancy, focused on the key structural constraints that have prevented an otherwise moderate Pakistani population from backing the state in its anti-extremist policies. He discussed recent trends in public opinion, the media, social movements-especially political parties-and civil society and their respective roles in shaping the public and government’s responses to militancy. He also identified measures through which anti-militant mobilization could take place from the bottom up. He however stressed that Pakistan had not turned the corner yet despite a sea-change in sentiment against militancy over the past few months.

Moeed is also a Doctoral candidate and Senior Teaching Fellow at Boston University’s Political Science Department and is currently teaching a course on International Political Economy at the University’s Department of International Relations.