Skip to main content
Support
Event

Governing the Ungovernable: Frontier Rule along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border and Beyond

The Afghanistan-Pakistan border region is a large, ungoverned space and a constant source of instability. Both countries have long grappled with the question of how to rule this rugged frontier, which many regard as ungovernable. This talk examines the evolution of frontier rule in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and how similar models of governance have been applied as far afield as Kenya, Nigeria, Argentina, and even the United States.

Date & Time

Wednesday
Jun. 3, 2015
3:00pm – 4:30pm ET

Location

5th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center
Get Directions

Overview

The Afghanistan-Pakistan border region is a large, ungoverned space and a constant source of instability. Both countries have long grappled with the question of how to rule this rugged frontier, which many regard as ungovernable. Pakistan employs a draconian law known as the Frontier Crimes Regulation, originally instituted by the British Raj in 1872, and with destabilizing and violent results. This talk examines the evolution of frontier rule in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and how similar models of governance have been applied as far afield as Kenya, Nigeria, Argentina, and even the United States. It also considers the implications for U.S. policy in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and future possibilities for this volatile frontier.

Tagged

Speaker

Benjamin Hopkins

Benjamin Hopkins

Former Public Policy Fellow;
Associate Professor of History and International Affairs, The George Washington University
Read More

Hosted By

Asia Program

The Asia Program promotes policy debate and intellectual discussions on U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific as well as political, economic, security, and social issues relating to the world’s most populous and economically dynamic region.   Read more

Thank you for your interest in this event. Please send any feedback or questions to our Events staff.