It's tough enough to run a business, yet alone the entire economy of a country even at the best of times.  Countries and companies that have the benefit of a generally reliable legal system and stable state of affairs can still flounder in the world of business and economics.  Just imagine being the CEO of a company, or president of a country that is either ravaged by war, or lives in close proximity to and is influenced by the violent and unsettling wars of it's neighbors.  Pakistan is just such a country, and after years of being surrounded by political turmoil, is beginning to show the toll.  As a country, it's been estimated that 43 billion dollars has been lost or expended because of the war like environment it has to do business in.  Irregardless of your take on whose right or wrong in the conflicts, whose a terrorist, and whose a freedom fighter, there is no questioning, that constant fighting and war is an expensive proposition.  After nearly a decade of being embroiled in this inferno, Pakistan is finally at the point where they are reaching out to the world for financial help.

Simply because of their geographic location, Pakistan has had to devote serious resources and monies to battling terrorism withing it's own country.  It's important to both the people trying to live a normal existence there, and to business trying to do business as well.  It's not just battling the daily security concerns, but it's also a question of trying to do damage control for the image of an entire country that is perceived as being dangerous and expensive to do business in.  It doesn't really matter what kind of incentives a government may offer to potential international investors, if companies know their resources and employees will be working in a war zone.  It simply throws up too many hurdles to creating a profitable bottom line.

So to me, it makes sense that other countries should step up and help Pakistan recover from this turmoil.  It's been practically a decade after all, since they've been fighting the battle on their own.  Organizations such as the FoDP (Friends Of Democratic Pakistan), are adding their voices to the cause.  We all live in a global village, and when one country struggles, it affects us all.  Just take a look how the economic problems of Greece have affected Europe and the rest of the world.  Especially, when it's a country that has the potential to succeed.  There are already over five hundred foreign companies that have done business very successfully in Pakistan in spite of the difficulties.  Just imagine how much more profitable and successful those and other companies would be if they were working in a more civilized environment.