U.S. Aid Worker Slain in Pakistan.

For the six months he helped execute the “hearts and minds” outreach of the United States on one of the most dangerous front lines of the American battle against militants, Stephen D. Vance had to balance a strategic mission with nearly daily concerns about his personal safety. [...]

Despite the questions about the effectiveness of the aid to the tribal region, there was a feeling in Washington that such assistance had to be tried, said Craig Cohen, the author of a study on United States and Pakistan relations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “There is a sentiment that we need to be out there, but we know its danger,” he said. “There’s a belief we want to do something more than military. We need an aid presence.”

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