A Parallel Taliban Administration Emerging in Pakistan  On
Thursday, there were a number of stories in the media and on the
blogs addressing the question of whether Pakistan is collapsing
or not. I have largely argued that Pakistan is not a failing
state but already a failed state. Let's not kid ourselves here
but instead ask the question what has Pakistan's governing elite
accomplished over the course of sixty plus years to actually
build an edifice of state? There is an army and an all powerful
intelligence service but is there a school system? A health care
system?  Are there jobs? A transportation infrastructure? Modern
ports? Pakistan isn't as much a country with an army but an army
with a country. That that army also holds about a hundred
nuclear devices does complicate matters to say the least.  What
does collapse mean is I think another fair question to ask. To
some it may mean the day the Taliban march into Islamabad and
take control. I don't take that view. To me it meant the day
Pakistan couldn't p