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In countries like Pakistan, where political polarisation continues to simmer and is not addressed, it can gradually mutate to become "pernicious polarisation".

Whereas pluralism is often treated as a positive and progressive outcome of diversity, polarisation is its negative outcome.

Thomas Carothers is a senior fellow and co-director of Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program. He is a leading authority on international support for democracy, human rights, governance, the rule of law, and civil society.

As policymakers look ahead, they must find a way to balance the need for inclusive resilience with the imperative for meaningful reform.

To better understand the various paths by which societies might overcome or reduce political divisions, this working paper examines perniciously polarized countries that have successfully depolarized, at least for a time.