By Mahjabeen Mehboob Raja
Exclusive Article
Pakistan – US relations can be divided into three distinct phases: The Cold War period; the years of crisis in the relationship from 1990 to 1993; and the current phase of repairing, rebuilding and redefining relations. As rightly pointed out by Dr. Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, that; in the international politics, “there are neither permanent friends nor permanent foes of a state”. These are indeed, the convergences and divergences of national interests of states that make them friends or enemies to each other. National interests of states are not constant, but continue changing depending upon the emerging realities from time to time. National strategies are made on the principals of national interests’ not on emotions or on personnel liking or disliking of leadership or a particular factor.
In the current phase of Pak-US relationship which indeed started after the incident of 9/11, US needed Pakistan for active cooperation in its military operations against Taliban in Afghanistan. The militancy in FATA and other areas of Pakistan indeed is the fallout of this cooperation. Even during this phase there has been vicissitudes’ at the bilateral level and Pakistan was not fully trusted. Against the ground realities, it was equated with Afghanistan through the infamous Af-Pak policy. It is also true that Pak-US relationship is indeed a history of turbulent connections, and there is no harm in admitting that Islamabad’s ties with Washington were dictated by specific politico-military interests with no deep-rooted historical and ideological union. It was the national interest of US which dictated its relations with Pakistan.
In September 2011, Adm. Mike Mullen the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate that Pakistan’s intelligence agency had provided aid to the Haqqani network members who had attacked the American Embassy in Kabul the week before. In response, the Pakistani military’s high command has rallied the country’s civilian leadership to reject the U.S. ultimatum to end Islamabad’s relationship with the Haqqanis. Pakistan’s foreign minister warns that America risks “losing an ally”. American-Pakistani relations took a turn for the worse in late November 2011 when a NATOair attack killed 26 Pakistani soldiers in strikes against two military posts at the country’s northwestern border with Afghanistan. The death of Osama Bin Ladenand the circumstances that allowed him to reside quietly in a three-story house on the edge of the Pakistani town of Abbott Abad, which houses military garrisons, have sharply increased tensions between the American and Pakistani governments.
Pakistani compulsion and its geo-political location was well exploited by US for its own strategic needs. U.S otherwise needed a partner in South Asia, which could act as a counter weight against the spread of Communism. Indian refusal to become US ally in 1949 left US with no option, but to make Pakistan as its partner. Unfortunately, this strategic convergence of interests mostly benefited the United States. US got enough space for spying and limiting the activities of its ideological opponent, throughout during the period of cold war. During the entire duration of this partnership, the gains for Pakistan however, were less as compared to its sufferance. Now, once as a twist of history, there is a convergence of interests of both countries once again, let there be a realistic Pak-US partnership on the longer terms? This is only possible once both sides will respect each other’s interests on the basis of mutuality. The major partner will have to play the major role, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured that, this time US would not abandon Pakistan.
-The writer is a freelance columnist and a regular contributor
Exclusive Article
Pakistan – US relations can be divided into three distinct phases: The Cold War period; the years of crisis in the relationship from 1990 to 1993; and the current phase of repairing, rebuilding and redefining relations. As rightly pointed out by Dr. Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, that; in the international politics, “there are neither permanent friends nor permanent foes of a state”. These are indeed, the convergences and divergences of national interests of states that make them friends or enemies to each other. National interests of states are not constant, but continue changing depending upon the emerging realities from time to time. National strategies are made on the principals of national interests’ not on emotions or on personnel liking or disliking of leadership or a particular factor.
In September 2011, Adm. Mike Mullen the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate that Pakistan’s intelligence agency had provided aid to the Haqqani network members who had attacked the American Embassy in Kabul the week before. In response, the Pakistani military’s high command has rallied the country’s civilian leadership to reject the U.S. ultimatum to end Islamabad’s relationship with the Haqqanis. Pakistan’s foreign minister warns that America risks “losing an ally”. American-Pakistani relations took a turn for the worse in late November 2011 when a NATOair attack killed 26 Pakistani soldiers in strikes against two military posts at the country’s northwestern border with Afghanistan. The death of Osama Bin Ladenand the circumstances that allowed him to reside quietly in a three-story house on the edge of the Pakistani town of Abbott Abad, which houses military garrisons, have sharply increased tensions between the American and Pakistani governments.
Pakistani compulsion and its geo-political location was well exploited by US for its own strategic needs. U.S otherwise needed a partner in South Asia, which could act as a counter weight against the spread of Communism. Indian refusal to become US ally in 1949 left US with no option, but to make Pakistan as its partner. Unfortunately, this strategic convergence of interests mostly benefited the United States. US got enough space for spying and limiting the activities of its ideological opponent, throughout during the period of cold war. During the entire duration of this partnership, the gains for Pakistan however, were less as compared to its sufferance. Now, once as a twist of history, there is a convergence of interests of both countries once again, let there be a realistic Pak-US partnership on the longer terms? This is only possible once both sides will respect each other’s interests on the basis of mutuality. The major partner will have to play the major role, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured that, this time US would not abandon Pakistan.
-The writer is a freelance columnist and a regular contributor
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