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Showing posts with the label Pakistan Foreign Policy

Pakistan's Crippling Strategic Isolation Is Its Own Fault ( Source- The National Interest / Authors- Aziz Amin Ahmadzai, Mona Naseer)

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Al Jazeera Source- The National Interest Authors-  Aziz Amin Ahmadzai , Mona Naseer A sovereign state’s foreign policy changes with the times, and according to its domestic needs and external changes in global politics. Nations have national interests, and there are no permanent enemies and friendships in international politics. Neighboring states can be a boon or a bane, depending on the ability to recognize one’s long-term interests of sustainable peace on its borders. Pakistan’s recent relations with Afghanistan have been one such example, with Pakistan as a state unable to define its foreign policy and national interests beyond a Cold War paradigm. An India-centric foreign policy has stalled Pakistan’s foreign-policy evolution and tainted its worldview of international politics. Pakistan currently has strained and difficult relations with all its neighbors except China. Following the Kargil War in 1999 with India, Pakistan f

Pakistan Falls Behind in East Asia ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Ahmad Rashid Malik)

Image credits- ASEAN Source- The Diplomat Author- Ahmad Rashid Malik Meeting with envoys from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) (namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, and Myanmar) in Aiwan-e-Sadr on April 19, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain expressed his desire to boost relations with ASEAN. He specifically mentioned Pakistan’s intention to seek a Full Dialogue Partnership (FDP) with the organization, which aims at strengthening political, trade, and economic ties with ASEAN member states. He admitted that Pakistan’s trade with ASEAN is well below its potential. ASEAN is a promising area for trade, investment, and connectivity. In terms of trade potential, ASEAN is the seventh largest trading area in the world. The combined GDP of the ten ASEAN nations is over $2.4 trillion. It is a hub for regional trade and manufacturing activities and is emerging as one of the fastest growing consumer markets in the world. As the region see

Pakistan's Looming Disaster in Yemen ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Akhilesh Pillalamarri)

Image source- Wikimedia Commons Source- The National Interest Author- Akhilesh Pillalamarri The possibility of Pakistan, a non-Arab South Asian country becoming embroiled in Yemen’s civil war is very high, as Saudi Arabia has been leaning heavily on Pakistan to join its military coalition there. Pakistani involvement could include the deployment of land forces. There are already hundreds of Pakistani troops in Saudi Arabia conducting joint exercises with Saudi forces and Pakistan has voiced support for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. Explicit Pakistani involvement in Yemen could be dangerous for it, both militarily and politically. Although Pakistan’s population is majority Sunni, unlike Saudi Arabia or Iran, Pakistan was not founded on the basis of any particular understanding of Islam. Rather, Pakistan was founded on the more general basis of Islam as a whole, in order to serve as a homeland for South Asia’s Muslims, whether Sunni or Shia. Around a fifth of Pakistan

China’s 'One Belt, One Road' To Where? ( Source- The Diplomat, Author- Lucio Blanco Pitlo III)

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Henry Le  Source- The Diplomat Author- Lucio Blanco Pitlo III The celebrated revival of the Silk Road would seem to herald the return of China’s charm offensive, winning over neighbors and other countries in the region through increased trade incentives and transport connectivity. If developing a sound soft power strategy is the mark of a rising world power, does this mean China is on its way? Certainly, in the wake of recent episodes of differences and disputes, the initiative should be seen as a welcome development. Nonetheless, some countries along the envisioned route remain wary and skeptical of the real intentions behind this offering, as well as the possible unfavorable conditions that may be attached to it. In addition, while Beijing tends to highlight its economic credentials, the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (hereinafter, SREB/MSR) has strategic, political and security implications that pa

America’s Pakistan Dilemma ( Source- The Diplomat/ Author- Sarah Graham)

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Government   Source- The Diplomat Author- Sarah Graham  One of the few remarked-upon passages in Hillary Clinton’s otherwise unenlightening Hard Choices was her recollection of the decision not to inform Pakistani authorities of the U.S. raid to kill Osama bin Laden. In her retelling, the suggestion that the U.S. should tend to the diplomatic sensitivities of its ally was summarily dismissed by the most senior officials in the room. This would pose too great an operational risk given the known links between the Pakistani military and terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban, even, scarily, at the risk that Pakistani authorities might mistake the U.S. incursion for a fully-fledged military attack by someone else. So well known are these terrorist connections, in fact, that sponsorship of terrorism by various elements of the Pakistani state has its own Wikipedia page, and analysts consider the use