As President Donald Trump prepares to deal with South Asia, a new study on Thursday underscored Thursday that Pakistan would remain vital to the United States’ interests in the important region.
“First, the United States has to update its understanding of Pakistan,” the study entitled ‘Pakistan Today: The Case for U.S.-Pakistan Relations’ launched at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) said.
Co-authored by political scientist Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli and former vice president at the World Bank Shahid Javed Burki, the study cites a series of changes that have taken place in Pakistan and the region.
“Washington has dealt comfortably with Pakistan’s military for decades, but does it really understand its nature today? Its biases? Its strengths and weaknesses? Would it be a partner or an adversary in the region once U.S. focus has shifted? More energy needs to be spent on this effort.”
Former Pakistan president and army chief Pervez Musharraf said Washington should understand the complexity of Pakistan-India relations. He said the United States should acknowledge that Pakistan has its own relations with China and the relationship should be acceptable to the United States as long as it does not impinge on America’s own ties with Pakistan. At the same time, Musharraf said Pakistan needs to carefully articulate its relations with the United States, China and Russia as the world moves from unipolarity to multipolarity.
The study notes that a change of administration in the United States will not change the dynamic of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
“An exhausted Washington eschewing formal involvement in regional problems can only manage limited engagement from afar. The crrent emphasis on strategic partnerships with India, Saudi Arabia and Israel may help to set parameters for U.S. engagement, but internal stresses in Pakistan from economic problems, sectarian violence and provincial strains cannot be managed from outside.”
The two experts note that the lack of close cooperation between U.S. and Pakistani foreign policy is not unwelcome in either country.
“While the United States has made alternative choices, it cannot be a totally disinterested party as Pakistan’s strategic location, its nuclear weapons status, its role in the Muslim world and the size of its population ensure its place as a player in the region and even beyond.
“Further, the downsized U.S. presence in Afghanistan requires cooperation from Pakistan, where the Taliban got their initial support, and the group will continue to factor into Pakistan’s calculations,” the study claims, referring to the important role Pakistan can play toward stabilizing Afghanistan.
“While Pakistanis accept diminished U.S. interest in their future, they know their country’s geography and history will ensure a continued U.S. role, despite other regional actors with whom the United States is now more comfortable.”
