In the end, much of the United States’ long-term success in Afghanistan will hinge on Pakistan’s willingness to disband its myriad of proxy groups, contribute to a stable Afghanistan, and build a stronger alliance with the U.S.
Pakistan and U.S. Don't See Same Urgency in Terror Fight | Kevin Hulbert, Former CIA Chief of Station
"The 'get tough on Pakistan' talking point from the president’s speech Monday is unfortunately the same idea every president and senior U.S. policymaker has used in his talking points with senior Pakistan officials for about 16 years now."
Washington Runs Serious Risk in Coercing Islamabad | Daniel Markey, Academic Director, Global Policy Program, Johns Hopkins SAIS
"A coercive strategy towards Pakistan has always been risky, and nothing has really changed on that front. It risks access and it risks to some extent – if you really rupture the relationship – influence on a variety of other things that we care about including Pakistan’s nuclear program, although I don’t want to overstate the influence that we have on that."