- US-Pak relationship at critical junction
The contours and implications of President Trump’s new Afghan policy are becoming clearer and should be a cause of concern for policy makers, both governmental and military. Recent engagements between the Centcom chief and COAS, civilian interaction with senior visiting US officials, with inside details kept under wraps, were ostensibly intended to avoid a complete rupture in bilateral ties, but the weekend briefing of Pentagon’s chief spokesperson illuminates the reality of a ‘hot friend cooling’ better than anything else. With US diplomatic lines drawn in the sand, Pakistan is facing a hint of President George W. Bush’s phrase to the world after 9/11 ‘either you are with us or you are with the terrorists’, with the added dimension that the current White House occupant’s middle names are ‘chaotic’, ‘unstable’ and ‘unpredictable’.
All recent developments point to a ‘take or leave it’ choice, an offer we should not refuse, or risk being forsaken by the sole superpower. For the US, terrorism is suddenly no longer the chief threat, being replaced by a revitalised Cold War fervour to contain China and Russia, militarily by regional bases stretching from the Arabian Sea to the South China Sea, and economically by sanctions and trade wars, retaining a limited troop presence in Afghanistan to goad the Taliban to the negotiating table while remaining near the Central Asian and South Asian heartland. The US does not want to ‘severe ties’ with Pakistan, but spurns revival of the former close relationship, with the familiar refrain to ‘do more’ to defeat terrorism, which has ‘reached an inflection point’ and accept new strategic collaborator India’s ‘very important role’ in Afghanistan. Pakistan, despite its tremendous sacrifices and successes against terrorism, has outlived its utility, and this is what ‘moving towards a new relationship’ and ‘new realities’ imply.
Considering our present torn and feeble political leadership and the intense pressure that can be exerted because of the comatose economy, not to talk of ‘grey’ and ‘black’ lists, the Pakistan foreign secretary’s two-day talks in Washington from Tuesday would entail the skills of a Bismarck or at least a Kissinger for any semblance of success or even balanced appraisal of our position.
