SUMMARY of the Article “Pak-US relations” by Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry [Published on December 17th, 2023]
Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry highlights the evolving dynamics of Pakistan-US relations against the backdrop of the US strategic partnership with India. Emphasizing India’s role in US national security objectives, particularly in strategic competition with China, the author acknowledges Pakistan’s perceived hindrance due to its friendship with China and strained ties with India. The aftermath of the US-led ‘war on terror’ has left deep wounds in the perceptions of both nations. Many Pakistanis feel dragged into a conflict that caused significant human and financial losses, while the US accuses Pakistan of hindering its military victory in Afghanistan. Despite these challenges, the US aims to engage with Pakistan, partly to prevent complete alignment with China and due to India’s strategic autonomy. The author suggests that the engagement will be gradual, with no immediate high-level structured involvement, and no major initiatives are expected from either side. People-to-people relations between the countries, however, remain robust, providing avenues for potential cooperation in areas such as IT, higher education, healthcare, agriculture, and investment. The article advocates reorienting the bilateral relationship from a security-centric focus to mutually beneficial trade and investment, fostering economic growth and development. The author underscores the importance of maintaining close ties with both the US and China, aligning with the notion that multi-alignments are essential in a multipolar world. To enhance relations with the US, Pakistan should adopt a transparent and equal opportunity approach for all investment projects, ensuring diversification of investment sources.
**Easy/Short SUMMARY**:
Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry explores the complexities of Pakistan-US relations in the context of the US’s strategic partnership with India and Pakistan’s ties with China. Despite challenges arising from the ‘war on terror,’ the US seeks engagement with Pakistan to prevent complete alignment with China and due to India’s strategic autonomy. The article suggests a gradual, incremental approach to the relationship, emphasizing the enduring people-to-people ties. Opportunities for cooperation in IT, education, healthcare, agriculture, and investment are highlighted. The author advocates shifting the focus from security-centric issues to mutually beneficial trade and investment for economic growth, emphasizing the importance of maintaining ties with both the US and China.
**SOLUTIONS of The Problem**:
1. Incremental Engagement Strategy:
- Adopt a gradual approach to enhancing ties with the US, acknowledging the existing challenges.
2. Diversification of Investment Sources:
- Encourage diversification of investment sources, attracting not only the US but also other partners, ensuring stability and growth.
3. Transparent and Equal Opportunity Approach:
- Implement a transparent and equal opportunity approach for all investment projects to attract global investors and build trust.
4. Shift from Security-Centric to Economic Focus:
- Reorient the bilateral relationship from security-centric issues to mutually beneficial trade and investment for economic growth.
5. Maintain People-to-People Ties:
- Strengthen people-to-people relations to provide a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation beyond government-level interactions.
6. Embrace Multi-Alignments:
- Recognize and embrace multi-alignments as the norm in a multipolar world, maintaining relations with both the US and China.
7. Promote Educational and IT Ties:
- Foster educational and IT collaborations to benefit from the strengths of both nations and contribute to skill development.
8. Explore Healthcare Collaboration:
- Explore opportunities for collaboration in the healthcare sector, leveraging the strengths of the US healthcare system.
9. Encourage Agriculture Cooperation:
- Promote cooperation in agriculture, building on the historical contributions of US agriculture experts to crop varieties in Pakistan.
10. Utilize Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC):
- Encourage both Gulf countries and corporate America to utilize the Special Investment Facilitation Council, ensuring an attractive ‘single window’ for investments in sectors like agriculture, mines and minerals, IT, and energy.
**IMPORTANT Facts and Figures Given in the Article**:
- Key Focus Areas for Cooperation: IT, higher education, healthcare, agriculture, and investment.
- Challenges in Relations: Perception issues stemming from the US-led ‘war on terror,’ strained ties due to Pakistan’s friendship with China, and hostility with India.
- Strategic Partner of the US in South Asia: India, due to shared national security objectives and strategic competition with China.
- Role of Pakistan in US Eyes: Perceived as a hurdle due to its close ties with China and strained relations with India.
**MCQs from the Article**:
- What is the primary reason for the US to engage with Pakistan, according to the article?
A. To seek Pakistan’s support in regional conflicts.
B. To prevent complete alignment with China.
C. To strengthen military ties.
D. To counter India’s strategic autonomy. -
What factor does the article emphasize for maintaining ties with both the US and China?
A. Economic dependency on both nations.
B. Security alliances.
C. Multi-alignments in a multipolar world.
D. Political neutrality. -
According to the author, what should be the focus in reorienting Pakistan-US relations?
A. Security-centric issues.
B. Military cooperation.
C. Mutually beneficial trade and investment.
D. Counterterrorism efforts. -
Which sector is NOT mentioned as a potential area for cooperation between Pakistan and the US?
A. IT
B. Agriculture
C. Military
D. Healthcare -
What challenge does the article highlight regarding Pakistan’s image in the US and vice versa?
A. Economic disparities.
B. Impact of the US-led ‘war on terror.’
C. Competition for global influence.
D. Geopolitical conflicts.
**VOCABULARY**:
- Strategic Autonomy (noun): The ability of a nation to make significant decisions independently without external influence.
- Counterterrorism (noun): Efforts to combat and prevent acts of terrorism.
- Multi-alignments (noun): Engaging and aligning with multiple countries or blocs, especially in international relations.
- Incremental (adjective): Increasing or developing by small degrees or stages.
- Robust (adjective): Strong and healthy; vigorous.
- Hurdle (noun): A difficulty or obstacle that must be overcome.
- Perception (noun): The way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.
- Hostile (adjective): Unfriendly and antagonistic.
- Diversify (verb): Make or become more diverse or varied.
- Geoeconomics (noun): The use of economic instruments to promote and defend national interests and to produce beneficial geopolitical results.
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Pak-US relations
Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry
AT the outset, it is important to recognise that the US has already chosen its strategic partner in South Asia: India. The US requires India’s cooperation in pursuit of its priority national security objective: strategic competition with China and containing the latter’s economic rise. The US might perceive Pakistan to be a hurdle in two respects: its close friendship with China and its mutually hostile ties with India. This bigger picture is not likely to change soon.
To complicate matters, perceptions about Pakistan in the US and the latter’s image in Pakistan have been deeply bruised by the US-led ‘war on terror’. Many Pakistanis believe that America dragged Pakistan into a war that was not ours; one which caused enormous human and financial losses to our country. There is a view that America befriends Pakistan only when it requires help to advance its security agenda. For its part, the US perceives Pakistan as a country that impeded its military victory in Afghanistan by providing sanctuaries to the Taliban. US officialdom also accused Pakistan of playing a double game.
Nevertheless, the US, it appears, would still like to engage with Pakistan for two reasons. First, it would not like to see Pakistan completely slip into China’s sphere of influence. Secondly, the US might adopt a more balanced approach to South Asia because of India’s tendency to exercise its strategic autonomy, including ties with America’s rivals, such as Russia.
However, the process of boosting ties with the US will be incremental, with no likelihood of high-level structured engagement at this stage. Nor is any major initiative expected from either side.
The US would still like to engage with Pakistan.
Fortunately, people-to-people relations between the two countries has survived the roller coaster nature of government-to-government ties. Both countries will benefit from investing in areas that enjoy popular support in Pakistan. For instance, IT professionals would want to strengthen their links with Silicon Valley. Pakistani students would welcome enhanced opportunities for higher education in American universities. And the US healthcare system has been a preferred destination for Pakistani physicians for several decades.
Meanwhile, US agriculture experts are held in esteem for their contribution to creating crop varieties in Pakistan in the early life of the country. Even today, agriculture remains a potential area of bilateral cooperation. Corporate America might also want to invest in Pakistan’s rich mines and minerals industry, particularly in Balochistan.
It would be in our interest to attract investments into the country from the West to build their stakes in the stability of Pakistan. This can be done by facilitating further people-to-people ties and opening new special windows or economic zones for businesses from the West with incentives comparable to those offered to any other foreign investor in Pakistan.
The revival of close economic relations with the US should not be a zero-sum exercise in the context of Pakistan’s ties with China, which remain deep-rooted. It would be a folly to view these two important relationships as an either-or choice for Pakistan. It is heartening that the leadership of the US and China have announced that there will not be another Cold War and that they would not like to see the world divided into camps.
Pakistan’s pivot to geo-economics will also be facilitated if we maintain close ties with all countries, including the US and China, to help Pakistan bolster its economic growth and development. Those who argue that Pakistan should pick its side and not sail in two rival boats are not factoring in the point that in a multipolar world, multi-alignments are the order of the day.
In seeking to enhance our relations with the US, it would be important to reorient this bilateral relationship from a counterterrorism and security-centric angle to the mutually beneficial fields of trade and investment, underpinned by strong people-to-people ties.
China, which has been a reliable development partner all these years, is not likely to resent Pakistan’s close economic ties with the US. Yet, it would be in our interest to keep Chinese and other investors in Pakistan on board with our desire to diversify the sources of investment in the country. The latter would also be better served by adopting transparency and equal opportunity approach for all investment projects.
The Special Investment Facilitation Council has opened an attractive ‘single window’ for investments by facilitating entrepreneurs in the sectors of agriculture, mines and minerals, IT, and energy. It would be useful if, besides investment partners from the Gulf countries, corporate America also took advantage of the SIFC to invest in Pakistan, given its high-dividend market.
The writer is a former foreign secretary and chairman of Sanober Institute Islamabad.
Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2023