In the words of British author and journalist William Rees-Mogg, a former London Times editor: " Pakistan remains an important pivotal country. It is an essential bastion of the American position in the Middle East. Without Pakistan as an ally, it is hard to see how the U.S. could maintain its position in Afghanistan. The worst possible alternative would be an anti-Western Islamic regime" (The Times, Nov. 5, 2007).

It remains to be seen whether Pervez Musharraf can hold things together just as president of Pakistan, having recently given up his other crucial role as commander of the armed forces. Can he or any possible future successor successfully stop Pakistan's Islamic radicals from spilling over into a more overt terrorism? With several dozen nuclear warheads in Pakistan's arsenal, the stakes are high.