Daily Times

The international order has become a victim of the recalcitrant approach of the Oval office, and Washington is finally comprehending that it may be on the verge of losing its hegemonic status in the impending world order. However, certain of its ‘imperialistic’ manoeuvres, the United States (US) has resorted to disengage with its allies and has incessantly started imposing sanctions on it’s all-time partner in the war on terror.

“Gratitude and confidence will not bring a single man into the field on our side; only fear will do that, if we use it cautiously and skillfully”. Bismarck’s maxim has somewhat been the American motto ever since the US-Pakistan strategic engagement. The American suspension of the remaining amount owed to Pakistan under the coalition support fund (CSF) before the US secretary’s visit to Pakistan was nothing more than hogwash announced by the US state department’s spokesperson. However, the use of fear was exercised abruptly and myopically, and thus failed to bring the new government in Islamabad to succumb to these ubiquitous tactics which were blanketed under the US imperialist approach.

US secretary Mike Pompeo who took the office after his predecessor Rex Tillerson was fired; on his recent visit to Pakistan met Pompeo met his counterpart and the prime minister in Islamabad, with no evident policy decisions or agreements, just emphasised the US’ decision to ‘reset’ its relationship with Pakistan. To what extent is this ‘reset’ articulated or substantiated is a tale that is still to be heard, but one thing is clear; that resuscitating the blanketed relationship is futile and it’s the reset button that heralds a new relationship between the US-Pak relationship.

Multiple economic sanctions took place during the 90’s in the form of Pressler and Symington amendments. However, ever since Trump’s election, the Pak-USrelationship has witnessed historic lows

Concomitantly the proposition of ‘reset’ comes in the wake of the recently released US documents of 2019 budget proposal and the pentagon’s 2018 report that explicitly expounds on the fact that the differences between Washington and Islamabad go beyond the trite of ‘do more’ and the schism in Afghanistan; Washington believes that Pakistan is gradually slipping out of its orbit. The pentagon report warns that, “China will seek to establish additional military bases in countries with which it has a long standing friendly relationship and similar strategic interests, such as Pakistan, and in which there is a precedent for hosting foreign militaries”. Pakistan’s tilt towards China has been accepted and acknowledged by the US, amidst the work being done on China’s ambitious One belt One Road project, and Pakistan hosting CPEC, it’s flagship project.

Earlier the pentagon report summarising the US military chief’s visit to different nations stated that Pakistan has to be part of the solution in Afghanistan. The report highlighted that the primary objective of the US Joint Chief of Staff General Joseph Dunford’s visit to these countries was to “maintain and build alliances”. The US general also attended the meeting hosted by Prime Minister Khan in Islamabad; because “Pakistan is the key to the ‘South Asia Strategy’ that President Donald Trump espoused in August 2017…Pakistan has to be a part of a solution in Afghanistan”.

The two frenemies will resume their efforts to reset the historically impugned relationship which is an integral part of the global strategic dynamics. Moreover, in the United Nations General Assembly session Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is scheduled to meet the US secretary of state Michael Pompeo. Historical cooperation between Islamabad and Washington diluted after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1990. Multiple economic sanctions took place during the 90’s in the form of Pressler and Symington amendments, however, ever since Trump’s election the relationship has witnessed historic lows which has resulted in a complete suspension of military training programs which even continued amidst the nuclear sanctions of the 90’s.

Moreover, whilst resetting its relationship with Pakistan; US and India formally signed a defence pact during Mike Pompeo’s recent visit to New Delhi clearly setting new rules of the game, divorcing itself from the Non alignment movement (NAM). While the US and India have finalised two foundational agreements; the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) and the communications inter-operability and security memorandum of agreement (CISMOA) to mitigate Chinese ascendancy in the region as US has already recognised China and Russia as “central threats to America’s prosperity and security”. Furthermore, Forbes magazine warned in an article titled, “China and Pakistan beware-this week, India and US sign major war pact”.

While globe-trotting diplomats engage in shuttle diplomacy to reinvigorate their strategic interests in a Hobbesian disorder, subterfuge diplomacy shapes up the new order. In the ruse of containing China and Pakistan, US inked the Logistics Exchange of Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with India. In the world of realignment Russia is a bonafide contender for hegemonic authority and such agreements compromise Russian ambitions.

This move comes at a time when Modi’s sabre rattling government is in a domestic crisis, and has been using anti Pakistan rhetoric to fuel nationalistic sentiments. India has long vouched for its role as a regional policeman which has been anathema for Pakistan and China. In a recent diplomatic misadventure, India rejected the possibility of talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries. India’s acceptance of the initiative and the subsequent cancellation of the proposed foreign minister’s meeting, within 24 hours of its public confirmation, citing recent cross border terrorism was seen as diplomatic mishandling

As ‘small men’ continue to occupy ‘big offices’, it is pertinent for the countries to talk about their interests. While Pakistan resets its relationship with the US, India continues to demonstrate its lack of foresight in it’s policy. If India continues to appease it’s local audience; it risks its policies being reduced to a series of slogans. There is time to determine who the winner and losers are, but Pakistan certainly has nothing to lose in the recent diplomatic spat with its neighbour.

The writer is philosophically a neo-liberal and Aristotelian; He holds a BSc honours degree in Economics and Political science from the Lahore School of Economics. He is a freelance writer and political thinker. He can be reached at farazsaeed1@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, September 25^th 2018.