Issue Brief on “Pakistan-U.S. Relations – Building a Futuristic Partnership”

Introduction

The United States has figured very prominently in Pakistan's foreign policy over the past 7 decades. This relationship has witnessed both complex and dynamic periods of cooperation. While the relationship has not progressed linearly throughout its history, the U.S. has remained Pakistan's important development and security partner. This relationship, for the most part, has remained victim to cyclical patterns, marked by periods of estrangement as well as close engagement. Being a major non-NATO ally, Pakistan has had the distinction of being both the most allied ally as well as the most sanctioned ally of the U.S.

Over several decades, the relationship has been significantly influenced by external factors and global developments, including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. 'war on terror.' This resulted in a primarily security-centric approach which constrained the development of a broad-based comprehensive relationship. Despite the inconsistent nature of the relations, looking back in history, at any time that Pakistan and the U.S. have worked closely, both nations as well as the world have benefited. Pakistan played a pivotal role in facilitating the Sino-U.S. rapprochement in the 1970s, which decisively fitted the East-West balance in favour of the U.S.-led 'free world.'[1] Second, Pakistan helped the U.S. reverse the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which later culminated in the end of the Cold War.[2] Thirdly, Pakistan became the front-line ally of the U.S. in the War on Terror (WoT) to fight terrorism in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. Most recently, Pakistan facilitated peace talks between the U.S. and the Taliban, which eventually led to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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