Pakistan: The Implications of the Marriott Bombing

The Jan. 26 suicide bombing at the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, follows an increase in the number of airstrikes against militants in the country's northwestern tribal belt, suggesting that al Qaeda or one of its affiliates staged the bombing in an effort to strike back at its attackers. Islamabad's response to the attack will complicate its efforts to counter radical political forces in the Pashtun-dominated areas of the country.