Egyptian presidential candidate Amr Moussa, on what he'd be like as a possible successor to Mubarak.
A documentary tracing the transformation of a son of Saudi privilege into the world's most wanted terrorist. WATCH ONLINE
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) - One week before top-level U.S.-Pakistani talks in Washington on security and aid, one of Pakistan's leading development experts said it's vital to tackle poverty in her country to fight terrorism.
"I personally think that addressing poverty, which is Pakistan's biggest problem today, is going to combat in some ways the issue of security that we face," Roshaneh Zafar, founder and president of the Kashf Foundation told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday.
"We worked with 1 million poor families across Pakistan, and we've seen what happens, the change that happens." She said even small increases in family incomes can transform society, because parents can then put their children in private schools.
"[By] putting in micro-finance, which is the most sustainable way of providing aid to low-income households, we are beginning to see a silent revolution take place both in terms of children going to school, their ability to actually transcend their social backgrounds and become professionals," she said.
Pakistani journalist Mosharraf Zaidi, a former adviser to the British Department for International Development, said he disagreed with the idea that poverty fuels terrorism.
"The evidence from a substantial body of work that's pre-9/11 as well as post-9/11 [suggests] the link between terrorism and poverty or terrorism and literacy is tenuous at best," he said.
"Now that's not to say that poverty shouldn't be solved. But poverty should be solved because it should be unacceptable to us as human beings."-
// Poverty and development likely are to be among the key issues at next week's planned talks in Washington between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
The United States is giving Pakistan $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid a year for the next five years as part of a long-term strategy to help stabilize Pakistan, which is fighting its own war against extremists and is used as a safe haven by Afghan Taliban insurgents and al Qaeda.
Pakistani officials say the United States also is launching frequent attacks from unmanned Predator drones against suspected terrorist targets in the lawless frontier areas of Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.
Zaidi said there is deep suspicion in Pakistan about the aid the United States is sending. "It's seen as blood money for the losses of Pakistani lives, particularly through things like drone strikes, which have been targeting al Qaeda militants."
He also said the most important thing for U.S. policymakers and philanthropists to understand is that countries aren't built by nongovernmental organizations or by philanthropy, but by governments.
But Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of the Acumen Fund, which invests in development projects in Pakistan and elsewhere, cited the example of the huge progress she said is being made in housing construction in Pakistan as a result of initiatives by nonprofit organizations.
"I think that's where we're going to start seeing real scale. And then there's the scale of the human imagination," she said.
"Then there's the scale of frameworks that start with trust and credibility that both the United States and the Pakistan government have as an opportunity to show that they're there, that they care and they can make things happen."
(CNN) - One week before top-level U.S.-Pakistani talks in Washington on security and aid, one of Pakistan's leading development experts said it's vital to tackle poverty in her country to fight terrorism.
"I personally think that addressing poverty, which is Pakistan's biggest problem today, is going to combat in some ways the issue of security that we face," Roshaneh Zafar, founder and president of the Kashf Foundation told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday.
"We worked with 1 million poor families across Pakistan, and we've seen what happens, the change that happens." She said even small increases in family incomes can transform society, because parents can then put their children in private schools.
"[By] putting in micro-finance, which is the most sustainable way of providing aid to low-income households, we are beginning to see a silent revolution take place both in terms of children going to school, their ability to actually transcend their social backgrounds and become professionals," she said.
Pakistani journalist Mosharraf Zaidi, a former adviser to the British Department for International Development, said he disagreed with the idea that poverty fuels terrorism.
"The evidence from a substantial body of work that's pre-9/11 as well as post-9/11 [suggests] the link between terrorism and poverty or terrorism and literacy is tenuous at best," he said.
"Now that's not to say that poverty shouldn't be solved. But poverty should be solved because it should be unacceptable to us as human beings."
//
Video: Al Qaeda leader killed?//
// //
Video: Face of Taliban justice//
//
Poverty and development likely are to be among the key issues at next week's planned talks in Washington between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
The United States is giving Pakistan $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid a year for the next five years as part of a long-term strategy to help stabilize Pakistan, which is fighting its own war against extremists and is used as a safe haven by Afghan Taliban insurgents and al Qaeda.
Pakistani officials say the United States also is launching frequent attacks from unmanned Predator drones against suspected terrorist targets in the lawless frontier areas of Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan.
Zaidi said there is deep suspicion in Pakistan about the aid the United States is sending. "It's seen as blood money for the losses of Pakistani lives, particularly through things like drone strikes, which have been targeting al Qaeda militants."
He also said the most important thing for U.S. policymakers and philanthropists to understand is that countries aren't built by nongovernmental organizations or by philanthropy, but by governments.
But Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of the Acumen Fund, which invests in development projects in Pakistan and elsewhere, cited the example of the huge progress she said is being made in housing construction in Pakistan as a result of initiatives by nonprofit organizations.
"I think that's where we're going to start seeing real scale. And then there's the scale of the human imagination," she said.
"Then there's the scale of frameworks that start with trust and credibility that both the United States and the Pakistan government have as an opportunity to show that they're there, that they care and they can make things happen."
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| 
The root cause of terrorism worldwide is poverty. If not, then why the families of terrorists are 'compensated' with huge amounts, after their terrorist member dies (read killed). There is always a deal – deal of 'before' and 'after' payments. Can we tackle education, poverty and employment in terror fields rather than sending troops that kill innocents, which in turn produce more terrorists. How many times Big Nations have come together to discuss this crucial issue?
After 9/11 the USA sought revenge against the terrorists behind the massacre of 4000 innocent civilians and the destruction of 2 tall TOWERS/buildings. However, the Warmongers/Fanatics in the USA; did NOT really do what they were supposed to do: specifically to kill the terrorists behind the massacre of 9/11. Instead; they invaded and destroyed 2 countries (One for each TOWER) and in the process killed directly hundred of thousands of innocent civilians and they also killed indirectly more than a million innocent civilians via "Civil War" in those 2 countries caused by the invasion and occupation. Pakistan is the 3rd country and there are more (Yemen; Somalia; etc...) with Iran as a future country to please the Israelis!
Those massacred civilians have families and friends who survived the "SHOCK & AWE" of the US mighty Air Force of 4000 planes including the DRONES; and sooner or later they will APE/imitate the Warmongers/Fanatics of the USA by seeking revenge.
Welcome to the concept of a "Vicious Cycle".
Certainly; being poor fuels "Terrorism"; but the killings of civilians in those countries by the USA is the straw that will always break the Camel's back..... Think of those massacres as the match that light the fuse of a "nuclear" bomb!
$1.5 billion or any multiple or fraction of it is always welcome to the govts of countries like Pakistan because it is the easy way out. Let's face it. 1.5 billion dollars is no big deal for a country like USA which spent almost a trillion dollars as bailout for their own economy. So then what is it? It is a thread, a leash by which they keep the rulers of our country in check and willing servants. What could Pakistan do? If we could make all people pay taxes, we could raise more than this amount. If USA was sincere, it would say to the GOP, "We'll give the 1.5 billion if you collect the same amount in taxes without levying new ones." We could do it but then we would be free and the US doesn't want it. Right? So thank you USA for nothing.
Reply to NEERAJ BHUSHAN's Comments.
She that the root cause of Terrorism is Poverty ,Illiteracy and Unemployment.
NEERAJ, with respect to your opinion, I wish however to state without any reservation that, I absolutely beg to disagree with your reasons as to the root cause of terrorism.
In my humble opinion I believe that it is Religion, Ideology and or beliefs. If you are a muslim read the following suras in the holy Koran. (Sura 5.36-38) sura.47: 4 & 7, sura 2:190-191, sura 5: 54 ,sura 2: 120 and sura 4:74-77.
and If you are a christian read the following chapters in the holy Bible also . EXODUS chapt: 20 vs 13, 1st.JOHN chapt.3 vs 15, JAMES Chpt. 2 vs 11, JOHN Chpt. 13 vs 35, Math.5 vs 46-48).
I assured you that, there is no other way as to the root cause of TERRORISM or LOVE other than these two sources either on earth or in the Heavens above.
Yakubu MAGAJI,
Bauchi state-Nigeria.
It's quite interesting to watched the current global crisis that keeps popping up, especially from Eastern European countries to towards the middle east again, it's like a volcano ready to erupt,. Try to imagine the process it will go through that in the end will totally change the landscape. What Im trying to say, to try and understand the current crisis one need to understand history ,start with Eastern Europe, The abdication of the Polish, the Scottish and the Irish from their land and were transported to a Newfoundland – from Siberia to Australia to Canada to name a few just because they fight back for what they believed is theirs. But from convicts they were the pioneers of the new Land. Now in this century, we are witnessing the destruction of the middle east from Afghanistan to Palestine it's quite remarkable that they can see properly the highest point in Australia Mt Kos'ciuzko from their side of the world. In 1788 was the year when King George III went mad when he addressed an oak tree in Windsor Great Park as the King of Prussia. It was also the same year the first meeting of the US Congress and the first Fleet that arrived in Sydney Cove 24 January 1788. And in Australia's they still processing boat arrival from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Iraq.