You Tube | 10 December 2009

At a hearing, held on 9 December 2009, of the U.S. Congress OGR Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Professor C. Christine Fair, of the Center for Peace and Security Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. paid an important if unusual compliment to the Taleban in Pakistan:

“One of the things that the Taliban do well [embarrassed snicker] is actually justice provision. They go around, they can resolve disputes expeditiously. Not complicated things; family disputes, land disputes. There is no recidivism. Justice is really key.” [She goes on to criticise the Asian Development Bank's projects in the justice sector.]

For the full testimony, see: “U.S. Aid to Pakistan: Planning and Accountability” (below; her full response, from which the clip above has been cropped, begins at 1:31:55):

Professor Fair has testified frequently at Capitol Hill:

• On December 9, 2009, she testified before the House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs on “U.S. Aid to Pakistan: Planning and Accountability.” Statement Text
• On November 5, 2009, she testified before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on “The U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan: Impacts upon U.S. Interests in Pakistan.” Statement Text
• On October 1, 2009, she testified before the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia on “The Afghan Elections: Who Lost What?” Statement Text
• On May 5, 2009, she testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on “From Strategy to Implementation: The Future of the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship.” Statement Text
• On March 11, 2009, she testified before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection on “Antecedents and Implications of the November 2008 Lashkare-Taiba (LeT) Attack Upon Several Targets in the Indian Mega-City of Mumbai.” Statement Text
• On January 16, 2008, she testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia on “U.S.-Pakistan Relations: Assassination, Instability, and the Future of U.S. Policy.” Statement Text
• On June 30, 2005, she testified before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on “The United States and Pakistan: Navigating a Complex Relationship.” Statement Text
• On May 24, 2005, she had the honor of testifying before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus on “Recent Developments in Bangladesh.” Statement Text

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