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What happens in Pakistan is critical to the security and stability of its people, its region, and the world. The inaugural episode of the Council on Strategic Risks Podcast Network features a discussion on Pakistan by South Asia experts (and participants in CSR’s Working Group on Climate, Nuclear, and Security Affairs) Elizabeth Threlkeld of the Stimson Center and Neil Bhatiya of the Center for a New American Security. They discuss nuclear weapons, climate security issues, the effects of natural disasters on the Pakistani population and government, and much more.
Welcome to the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) Podcast Network! Here we speak with leading experts who are working to anticipate, analyze, and address core systemic risks to security in the 21st Century. This episode focuses on Pakistan.
In this inaugural episode, host Dr. Sweta Chakraborty speaks with South Asia experts (and participants in CSR’s Working Group on Climate, Nuclear, and Security Affairs) Elizabeth Threlkeld of the Stimson Center and Neil Bhatiya of the Center for a New American Security. They discuss nuclear weapons, climate security issues, the effects of natural disasters on the Pakistani population and government, and much more.
On the heels of Pakistani President Imran Khan visiting U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House, Threlkeld and Bhatiya discuss a complex set of dynamics within Pakistan and with its nuclear-armed neighbors. Their unique insights show why what happens in Pakistan is critical to the security and stability of its people, its region, and the world.
It is no surprise that in January 2019, CSR’s Working Group on the nexus of climate, nuclear, and security trends named Pakistan as the #1 most important country for examining how these trends are coexisting and at times influence each other. This year, Pakistan has experienced record temperatures due to a stifling heat wave: on June 1st, the city of Jacobabad hit 51.1 degrees Celsius, a solid 7 degrees above average. Many nuclear weapons experts are increasingly concerned about their use in South Asia, potentially stemming from miscalculations with India. Pakistan and many of its neighbors are expanding nuclear energy systems to address climate change and grow energy capacity—a reminder of the importance of nuclear safety and security in the region. These issues accompany economic pressures and many other dynamics our podcast guests highlight.
CSR’s Podcast Network will regularly feature exclusive dialogues with leading security, military, and international affairs experts. Stay tuned for cutting-edge discussions on the world’s existential and strategic risks, and the ways in which these challenges are converging.