I recently read Descent into Chaos, which told the compelling story of how Afghanistan and Pakistan have become so turbulent ever since 2001. It's written by Ahmed Rashid, a renowned Pakistani journalist, and he writes a detailed article in the NY Review of Books on the same issue. Specifically he explains how fundamentalists militants, especially the Taliban, grew to become such a menace and the extent of their power that has seen their influence spread from the NW frontier 'badlands' to deep into Pakistan. From both the book and this article, I can't help thinking that Pakistan is in very deep and dire troubles. And this does not bode well for Afghanistan's stability and security.