Daily Times

The US-Pakistan debate around consecutively has started again with newfangled. In the past, bilateral relations have not been severed for long before reuniting. The irony is that they were unable to remain together for a long time before splitting up once again.

The association has been remarkably similar to that between a betrothed who cannot live without each other. It has historically been a demand but the contentious relationship with little continuity or strategic agreement. As a result, the two countries’ needs and expectations have only been partially met, their gains costly as they experienced disappointments decidedly made worse by the politicians. Over the years, their public understanding of one another has turned out to be more negative, particularly in Pakistan, which is currently engulfed in anti-Americanism.

Will the new engagement change anything? Yes, of course, but only if Pakistan and the US have different relationships. Pakistan is too important to be isolated, according to analyst Raja Mohan, who recently wrote in the Indian Express, “Pakistan takes up an extremely important piece of real estate that sits between both the subcontinent, Iran, Arabia, Central Asia, Russia, and China.”

Of course, the US has long been aware of this. Has anything changed, though, that would cause Washington to behave differently this time? Henceforth, South Asia has undergone change because of the changing power dynamics, employment prosperity, geostrategic, and post-9/11 security threats. Instead of serving as a battlefield for ideological conflicts as it did during the Cold War, it is now a venue for competition between great powers. Overlapping coalitions between regional and international players are emerging to address these issues and opportunities, and Pakistan and the US are finding themselves on opposing sides of these coalitions. And they are working to make that right. The catalyst for transformation has come from both sides, though it may have been Washington, which is now concentrating on Pakistan after Washington was released from the Afghanistan war and given a strategic respite by India’s conflicted position regarding the Ukraine war. The previous policy, which asserts that Pakistan should defuse tensions in its relations with India and engage with Washington as a result of its economic vulnerabilities, democratic unpredictability, and the realization that China cannot solve all its problems, has undoubtedly aided this shift.

South Asia has undergone change because of the changing power dynamics, employment prosperity, geostrategies and post-9/11 security threats.

The Ukraine Military conflict may have provided a reality check for the US understanding of its role in the world in terms of America’s compulsions. No other nation, except for Europe and key allies like Japan and Australia has been a staunch ally of Washington. They have shown deference to the strategic and economic clout of China and Russia.US efforts to distance itself from China have also fallen short. Every country has voiced their displeasure with Washington over the failed policy of forcing them to choose between the US and China. America is currently trying to keep up with China by changing its stance on this policy. It started in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and eventually made its way to Pakistan.

However, the China aspect alone does not determine relations with Pakistan. China, Russia, the Taliban, counterterrorism, non-proliferation, this same stability of Pakistan’s nuclear assets, and climate change are just a few of the US interests related to security issues, geopolitics, and international governance that intersect in Pakistan. Although the US does not have vital economic interests in Pakistan, its relations with that country on the economic front have become crucial to its worries there. It will promote stability in Pakistan, make it a valuable partner, and deal with the rising anti-American sentiment. Washington is pressed for time and is nearly vying for Imran Khan for the public’s attention. Pakistan’s economic difficulties have presented an opportunity to directly help, especially in the wake of the floods. Flood aid totalling almost $100 million has already been announced, and much may follow. Washington also wants to assist the medical and educational sectors.

The US is aware that the previous “army first” and time-specific framework of relations, which was security-focused, will no longer be effective. It makes sense that the focus of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-recent Zardari’s visit to the US was on deepening bilateral relations beyond traditional security matters. There are many potential areas of collaboration, including energy technology, agriculture, and IT. Additionally, it might put Pakistan on the path to achieving its geo-economics goals, which might encourage a reevaluation of its relations with India. Pakistan will at least make an effort not to jeopardize Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, just as the United States would not make an effort to challenge Pakistan’s diplomatic ties with China. The US has always used Pakistan as a stable and reliable strategic anchor. In the past, interactions between US and Pakistan have been limited, either by the need to address a shared problem or by short-term security concerns. This pattern would have to be broken for the relationship to be reset. Pakistan claims it wants a wide-ranging association with the US. There is a need to establish a relationship that goes beyond combating terrorism and Afghanistan still that the US military strike is complete. The US continues to be a significant trading partner for Pakistan. Pakistan’s biggest export stock and a significant source of international remittances is the US. Certainly, Pakistan needs US assistance to actually accomplish economic stability. The nation also has a developing technology industry that can flourish with assistance from the US. Meanwhile, strategic sustainability of forces has emerged because of shifting regional geopolitics.

These new geopolitics are reflected in the expanding strategic partnership between the United States and India as well as China. Pakistan axis. When attempting to repair its relationship with the United States, Pakistan must proceed with caution. The ability of Washington to assist Pakistan in developing an alternative social structure and set of external norms that satisfy citizens’ socioeconomic needs and democratic aspirations and are resilient enough to support the state in absorbing and overcoming ethnic, linguistic, regional, religious, and sectarian tensions will ultimately serve as a barometer for the success of our engagement. Only this type of model can dislodge the rival notion of an extremist Muslim and assist Pakistan in developing into a responsible citizen of global culture, at national reconciliation with its neighbours, and a key ally of the US.

The writer is a freelance columnist.