reply to post by blupblup
Freeborn nailed it in my opinion. As many here like to point out "Iran" is surrounded also they have pretty much dug in their heals against
western influence. Pakistan on the other hand is a country that is caught in two worlds. Roughly half their population wants to have stronger ties
with the west {Mostly City dwellers} while the other half {Mostly rural areas} are more traditional and have strong tribal ties which in turn have
stricter Islamic beliefs.
The KEY in all of this is Central Asia and it's potential economic Boom. Central Asia is rich in all sorts of natural resources that Russia, The EU,
China and the US would all love to get their greedy hands on. Or at least have sort of major influence/clout over all the former Soviet states.
All the "STANS"

