On December 21, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt (retired) wrote an op-ed, “Trump’s surprising policy turn on Pakistan”, that appeared in the Washington Times. In addition to being a high-ranking retired army officer, Kimmitt is a former deputy assistant secretary of defence for Near East and South Asia and former assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs of the United States (US).
The article offers an insight into the pattern of thought a retired military man carries over time to view the region of South Asia. Interestingly, Kimmitt chose the Washington Times and not the well-reputed and widely circulated Washington Post to vent his views. Nevertheless, the article gathered the needed attention in Pakistan. In the article, Kimmitt compares the causes and effects of the nearness (and remoteness) of Pakistan and India to the US. Kimmitt opines that, in the past, the US ditched Pakistan on the touchstone of doubts over its “counter-terrorism commitments” and on its cherishing “close ties with China”, whereas the US “leaned onto an India-first posture”, which has now crumbled because of India’s “increasingly majoritarian domestic politics and constraints on civil liberties [besides India’s] uneven military performance and growing reputation for diplomatic inflexibility [which] cast doubt on India’s reliability as regional stabilizer.” In this comparison of failures, Kimmitt is clearly saying that the criteria to judge Pakistan are different from those employed for India.
Kimmitt has also made a point that Pakistan has made certain recent approaches “from pariah to partner” to the current administration of US President Donald Trump, who is ready to replace India with Pakistan as a regional stabiliser on the condition that Pakistan acts as a “subtle but effective counterweight to China’s regional influence.” Here, Kimmitt disrespects Pakistan’s efforts to balance its foreign policy between China and the US. Over and above, Pakistan shares a border with China. Interestingly, Kimmitt wants Pakistan to choose between China and the US. If Pakistan wants proximity to the US, Pakistan has to sever its close ties with China.
The catch is that the whole article is full of Pakistan’s praise to revive its place in the good books of the US, and offers Pakistan an option to be on the side of the US against China. In return, Pakistan would not only be preferred to India, but Pakistan would also be given the status of Pakistan-first in the region, South Asia. It also means that Pakistan’s praise regarding its counter-terrorism efforts is nothing but a corridor to offer Pakistan a reason to be closer to the US.
The problem with the US is that it wasted twenty long years (2001-2021) in wars, which drained its economy and impeded its scientific progress.
Kimmitt knows well where the shoe pinches. About Pakistan, he writes: “Despite a gradual recovery from the 2022-2023 floods and recent growth in gross domestic product, its economy still depended on external financing”. That is, Pakistan’s weakness is known. Economic insufficiency has brought Pakistan to this pass, where it has to please the US. Certainly, Pakistan is afflicted with the perennial malady of spending more than it earns. Financial constraints are the proverbial tail wagging the dog.
Kimmitt is simply playing with two things. First, Pakistan’s ego, which feels hurt whenever India is preferred in the region. Second, Pakistan’s fragile financial status, which is struggling to avoid a sovereign default. The implied message is that China cannot bestow on Pakistan the regional Pakistan-first posture and domestic financial stability. Both can be done by the US, which presides over the global political system and leads financial donor organisations. However, the cost Pakistan has to pay is to act as a subtle but effective counterweight to China’s regional influence. This is where the rub lies.
It is known that the US abhors India for two main reasons. First, India does not act as per the wishes of the US to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region. Second, India has become the world’s fifth largest economy in 2025 by nominal GDP, resisting as much as possible to succumb to the US tariff. The rise of India has to be in the best interest of the US. On top of it, the US loathes any leaning of India towards China, even if it were for the neighbourly co-existence.
It is also known that the US detests China for three main reasons. First, China is offering all support to Russia, which is defying the US dictates. Second, China resists the US hegemony in the South China Sea. Third, China is expected to become the second-largest economy in 2025 by nominal GDP. The rise of China has to be under the patronage of the US.
The problem with the US is that it wasted twenty long years (2001-2021) in wars, which drained its economy and impeded its scientific progress. In 2021, the US awoke to the reality that the countries which were dependent on it for survival were poised to surpass it both scientifically and financially. The dawn of post-2021 reality is now haunting the US, which is changing domestic laws and reshaping foreign policy as quickly and harshly as possible. As it is the first time the US is faced with this kind of challenge, the US is unclear about what to do and how to handle this crisis. This is why the US is found committing mistakes (of misjudgments) at both domestic and foreign fronts.
For Pakistan, crunch time has approached. In November, the US declared its National Security Strategy (NSS), which focused on the transactional relationship, depending upon the need of the hour, with Pakistan. Though views of Kimmitt are not totally aligned with the US’ NSS, he must be throwing a feeler to fathom Pakistan’s response.
Nevertheless, through his article, one point Kimmitt has put across clearly: Pakistan cannot straddle the line drawn between China and the US. Pakistan has to settle on one side.
The writer is a former diplomat and freelance columnist.