Pakistan, June 26 -- A drive into Washington always carries surprises. Some days it is the flash of motorcades slicing through traffic, while on others, it is a practised-to-perfection rhythm of suited figures hurrying past security barriers, badges swinging, as decisions that shape distant regions are quietly set in motion. Tuesday morning, I hurried across a rain-soaked pathway; June showers turning the streets silver, blurring the edges of buildings and making even DC's hard power look momentarily subdued.

Inside the Atlantic Council, however, the mood was anything but that. The room where I was headed for a roundtable discussion on the issues plaguing South Asia in 2026 and in years to come was one where the credentials were almost m...