1. Prospects for youth-led movements for political change in Pakistan
- Author:
- Michael Kugelman
- Publication Date:
- 03-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- This policy brief assesses the potential for two types of youth-led political change movements in Pakistan. One is an Arab Spring-like campaign, fuelled by demands for better governance and new leadership. The other is a religious movement akin to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which seeks to transform Pakistan into a rigid Islamic state. The brief discusses the presence in Pakistan of several factors that suggest the possibility of the emergence of an Arab Spring-type movement. These include economic problems; corruption; a young, rapidly urbanising and disillusioned population; youth-galvanising incidents; and, in Imran Khan, a charismatic political figure capable of channelling mass sentiment into political change.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Economics, Youth Culture, Political Activism, and Popular Revolt
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and South Asia