Wood
SENIOR MEMBER
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- Mar 30, 2013
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I agree that Afghanistan is not a priority for United States as it used to be in early 2000s. But Americans still want to make sure that Afghanistan is stable enough to not let another Bin Laden to operate there with impunity. If possible, US would like to have a drone base in Pakistan to keep the more radical Afghan elements on their toes. Surely, this gives some leverage for Pakistan?1) Afghanistan is a dead issue it took 20 years for them to learn and they’ve gotten nothing out of it. On top the Afghans didn’t fight back it shows they had no interest in US game plan. The Pacific is where the game is and there are more than ready partners.
2) Realistically, if you go back and look deeper into our relationship, F-16 aside, there was never any benefit to this relationship as one side was never totally committed beyond the point of having a client state. People to people relationship never took off. So this is a dead issue. US on more than one occasion kept Pakistan down, they’ve done more harm than good.
As I’ve said before Pakistan can’t offer anything, I don’t think you want to wait 3 years to find out lol.
Urban Pakistanis have good connection with the US. It is rural Pakistanis that do not have any connection with the states. Urban Pakistani elites control the bureaucracy and governance, so I think this always gives a good platform for Pakistan to exploit and further its interests in the US. Of course, if Pakistan compares itself with India (in dealing with US) - it will always fall short because India is simply much bigger in size. But on its own merit, I think Pakistan can carry itself proportionally well.
For starters, Pakistani politicians should stop openly dramatizing anti-Americanism. It should not be used a domestic political tool. The era of drone strikes inside Pakistan is now behind both countries and therefore Pakistan will do well to look ahead and move forward.