Annual Pakistan Lecture Series
 
AHMED RASHID
 “The Political Consequences of Natural Disaster: South Asia after the Earthquake”
The Johns Hopkins University Bernstein Office Building
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, Auditorium  

Friday November 18, 2005 
Lecture: 5:30 pm -7:00 pm
Reception: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm 

Ahmed Rashid is author of two best-selling books, Taliban and Jihad- The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia.  Based in Lahore, he is the Afghanistan and Central Asia correspondent for the 'Far Eastern Economic Review' and the London 'Daily Telegraph.’  A member of the Davos World Economic Forum, after the 2001 war in Afghanistan, he donated a quarter of his earnings to set up the Open Media Fund for Afghanistan, which provides start-up funds for newspapers and magazines all over Afghanistan and in all Afghan languages.  His lecture will address the political implications of the South Asian Earthquake.   

The October 8 Earthquake that affected the neighboring countries of India and Pakistan has created opportunities for expanded cooperation and goodwill.  The key political question is whether the two countries will squander this opportunity or whether the common challenge created by the earthquake will make the two countries more willing to negotiate their differences.  At the domestic level, how have the two governments organized relief operations, and how have the publics in both countries viewed their performance?  These issues have a greater political significance in Pakistan, which bore the brunt of the destruction.

The aim of the Annual Pakistan Lecture Series is to give a platform in Washington, DC to major public figures in Pakistan.  This series is
made possible by the generosity of our “Friends of SAIS” in Pakistan, a group of civic leaders whose support has enabled SAIS to present a broad menu of activities on Pakistan.  We are privileged to have Ahmed Rashid inaugurate this lecture series.

For security purposes, an RSVP is mandatory.  Please email asharan@jhu.edu and include your affiliation and contact details.  Photo I.D. required for entry.