Pakistan's FATA

In 1973 Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber in a seminal article, described a new form of problems as "wicked" and called for a new approach and understanding to solve these problems. They offered unique attributes and characteristics to distinguish these problems from others. The United States' current struggle to solve the Pakistan sanctuary problem can be attributed to a failure by the administration and military to fully comprehend that this is a wicked problem and thus requires a new approach. To demonstrate clearly that the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) is a wicked problem this paper will explore each of Rittel and Webbers attributes and then apply them to the current problem. The paper will then offer a new approach, given the wicked nature of the problem, on how President Obama and his decision makers can "tame" Pakistan's FATA problem.