The assassination has thrown Pakistan into chaos. Of course, now, we are confronted with questions concerning the identity and associations of the attackers. It would not surprise me in the least to find out–as this story speculates–that al Qaeda was indeed involved. And with Nawaz Sharif’s threat to boycott the upcoming elections and demand that Pervez Musharraf resign, Pakistan will be thrown into still greater social and political disorder.

In the event that it has been forgotten, let us now remember and resolve to bear in mind that we live in a tremendously dangerous world, that random acts of violence can dramatically alter the geopolitical landscape–especially when those random acts of violence take place in a country with nuclear weapons–and that unless foreign policy and national security receive heavy and pronounced attention in the ordering of any nation’s priorities, we will be manifestly unprepared to deal with crises and disasters.

The events in Pakistan will rightfully keep us on edge for some time to come. For all of the right reasons, it is now a major issue in any discussion of the foreign policy landscape. And instead of asking our Presidential candidates whether they believe every word of the Bible or whether they prefer diamonds or pearls, perhaps we can start asking them some serious foreign policy questions and quit with the ridiculous and appalling frivolity with which we make inquiries of those who ask to lead the country.