As in the past, this time too, we, in this part of the world, are hoping against hope that perhaps the change at the helm in the United States of America that is about to come after the November 8, 2012, US elections, would change the attitude of the US government towards Pakistan. One only wishes one could be more encouraging in their views on this vital issue. To be able to get to the crux of the matter, a quick glance through history will have to be undertaken. History, those who know, is very clear on this issue. Change of the person at the top in the US government has never before, nor will it now bring any drastic change in the policies and attitude of the United States of America particularly towards Pakistan.
Whatever may be the result of the upcoming US presidential elections, with a neck and neck competition expected between the incumbent President Barack Obama and his rival Republican contender Mitt Romney, US policies and attitude towards this country are not likely to see any significant change. This could be vividly gauged particularly from the final Obama-Romney presidential debate on foreign policy held on October 22, 2012. Those who have been closely following the US presidential debates must be aware that Pakistan and its multifarious problems found a special mention in the final debate on US foreign policy, with neither Obama nor Romney having much positive to say about Pakistan. In their final debate, that focused principally on foreign policy, both the gentlemen made it crystal clear that drone attacks in Pakistan will not cease. Mitt Romney, in fact, expressed his outright support to Obama on this critical issue. This makes it abundantly clear that a change, if it occurs, at the helm in the US government will merely be a change of face and it would certainly not make any difference to Pakistan, particularly when looked at from the point of view of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks.
M FAZAL ELAHI
Islamabad
