There is reason for hope in Nawaz Sharif‘s victory in the recent Pakistani elections. Sharif, who has twice served as Pakistan’s prime minister, has said he wants to build a more robust democracy, revive the country’s shattered economy and end the military’s 40-year domination of its politics. He has also promised to improve relations with India and take on the radical Islamist terrorism that has tormented Pakistan. The United States should assist him in every way possible to achieve those goals. But there is also ample reason for caution. The U.S. has a long history of “betting on the come,” of...

AMID some tough competition, Pakistan has a reasonable claim to the title of World’s Most Dangerous Nation. It has nuclear weapons, a large contingent of fundamentalists bent on wreaking chaos beyond its borders, a simmering conflict with the big power next door and a long history of unstable governments. The atomic armoury is there to stay; but, after an election on May 11th which propelled Nawaz Sharif to power for the third time (see article), there are good reasons to believe that the place may get stabler, calmer and more prosperous. Given Mr Sharif’s record, such optimism may seem odd. He was a dreadful prime minister in the...