The U.S. and its Allies have more than 150,000 troops in Iraq.
President Obama has just promised a further 17,000 soldiers will be sent to Afghanistan - to join the tens of thousands already fighting an increasingly desperate and intractable war against the Taliban.
Yet neither of these countries present the terrifying threat to world stability that exists in Pakistan.
Bodies of two Pakistani policemen lie on the ground after the attack
This nuclear-armed state, long ruled by a grotesque litany of corrupt dictators and riven with militant Islamists, has now fallen into murderous anarchy.
What's more, it is the world's seventh most populated nation, with at least 170 million people within its fragile borders.
If World War III were to break out anywhere, Pakistan would be a most likely contender.
Nothing could better illustrate the extent of the danger we all face than the brazen way in which terrorists this week were able to attack the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team.
The Pakistani government was fully aware that the team would have been a prime target for terrorists - indeed India, England, Australia and South Africa all refuse to play there because of the threat - yet it was unable to prevent its streets from running once again with blood. Read more ...