Suddenly we were surrounded by Pakistani soldiers, who forced us out of the car and pointed assault rifles in our faces. While they searched us, I saw two other soldiers with automatic weapons run along a high wall a few feet from where we stood.
Shots rang out from inside the adjacent compound.
The party stood accused of murders and kidnapping. Security forces claimed victory, but reports later circulated that party members had filtered back into the area with weapons. More on travel and foreign affairs in The Atlantic Monthly and Atlantic Unbound. The global triumph of democracy was to be the glorious climax of the American Century. But democracy may not be the system that will best serve the world.