In suspending aid, the United States is showing it will no longer give the benefit of the doubt to Pakistan’s military after a long debate on how to handle the powerful institution.
President Barack Obama’s administration took office with a determination to strengthen Pakistan’s weak democratic leaders and crafted a civilian aid package accordingly, all the while trying to nurture ties to a suspicious army. But now the administration has taken a major – and, in some analysts’ view, risky – step of deferring $800 million for the army and saying it will not resume full funding without what it sees as progress on fighting insurgents.
“There has been growing estrangement but this represents a real change of gears because up until now the thrust of our relationship has been our military working together, whatever else happens,” said Marvin Weinbaum, scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute.
