Following the annus horriblis of 2011, U.S.-Pakistan relations are finally looking up. The strategic dialogue between the two countries has resumed with a realistic scope and calibrated expectations. The defense relationship is settling back into polite engagements focused on multi-year assistance planning. The U.S. Congress, meanwhile, is distracted by crises in Syria and Ukraine, and the Pakistani elite are focusing their anxieties on militancy at home and the upcoming elections in Afghanistan and India.
These apparent signs of normality are just enough to make longtime Pakistan-watchers nervous. There are many changes afoot in the region — among them, civil-military developments in Pakistan, elections in India and Afghanistan, and the ongoing drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan — that have the potential to bring about a shift in Pakistan’s relationship with the United States.
Pakistan and the United States: Frenemies Forever?
By Joshua T. White
In South Asia
Following the annus horriblis of 2011, U.S.-Pakistan relations are finally looking up. The strategic dialogue between the two countries has resumed with a realistic scope and calibrated expectations. The defense relationship is settling back into polite engagements focused on multi-year assistance planning. The U.S. Congress, meanwhile, is distracted by crises in Syria and Ukraine, and the Pakistani elite are focusing their anxieties on militancy at home and the upcoming elections in Afghanistan and India.
These apparent signs of normality are just enough to make longtime Pakistan-watchers nervous. There are many changes afoot in the region — among them, civil-military developments in Pakistan, elections in India and Afghanistan, and the ongoing drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan — that have the potential to bring about a shift in Pakistan’s relationship with the United States.
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PHOTO CREDITS
US flag: ldysw357 via flickr
Pakistan flag: khalilshah via flickr