A major shift in the politics
between America and Pakistan have changed over the last few days.
Barely a month after accusing Pakistan's spy agency of funding and
aiding the Haqqani terrorist organization, based in northern
Pakistan, the United States is asking for that same intelligence
organization to aid in reconciliation talks to end the war in
Afghanistan.
This persistent request for aid
comes after another attack by the Haqqani organization on Saturday,
October 29th, that killed over 17 individuals including a
number of Americans. Secretary of State Clinton hopes that through
the talks and use of Pakistani intelligence,named the Inter-Service
Intelligence agency or ISI, that the hostilities in Afghanistan can
be reduced, in preparation for the removal of over 33,000 American
troops. However, the major problem with this is that many in the
Pakistani government have differing views, that are in conflict with
American policies.
It is assumed that the Pakistani
government is hesitant to aid the United States, due to the belief
that the Haqqani organization will be the best way for Pakistan to
maintain influence in Afghanistan after America pulls troops out in
2014. Due to this, they are playing cards extremely close to the
vest, and are not giving much direct intelligence or support to the
American government. For now, Pakistani officials are stating that
they are confused about American long term-goals in Afghanistan, and
are wanting to better define the terms before anything concrete is
decided. This is made even more confusing by Secretary Clinton's
comment about wanting to both fight and negotiate with the Haqqani
organization.
Frankly, this change in the
political position between the United States and Pakistan is both
disconcerting, yet when looking at other facts expected. The first
thing that should be considered is the current political upheaval in
Pakistan. Former cricket star Imran Khan led over 100,000 protesters
in an anti-government rally. This presents a weakness and an opening
for the American government to attempt to turn Pakistan into a
friend, with promises of political support, especially since Khan
opposes cooperating with the U.S. against militants, the push for a
connection creates the seeming friendship between countries that can
lead to more support for the Pakistani government, especially in the
international stage. Another thought is that the Pakistani government
is apparently open to the idea, according to the dissent in this
rally, so American officials may be trying to capitalize on this
apparent opening.
This cooperation also plays into the
strategic planning of the Obama administration. This administration
promotes the use of international acceptance and aid, rather than
creating an apparent hegemony. By coming to Pakistan, Secretary
Clinton hopes to further this joint effort for reconstruction.
Unfortunately, Pakistan is not
nearly as weak or open to the aiding American interests as could be
assumed from the previous political actions throughout the country.
Pakistan is taking a position of power, holding the information as a
bargaining chip with American diplomats. Furthermore, while America
has taken unilateral actions, Pakistan has no fear that the
negotiations will ever cease; or that there will be any punishment
for their actions. On top of this, Pakistan focuses on hegemonic
power. As long as the probability for gaining influence in
Afghanistan through the Haqqani movement, they will be unlikely to
provide the aid to American officials.
This creates the problem of the
apparent weakness of the United States. With Pakistan taking the
upper hand, and America being hesitant to go against them, there is
the ability that the United States will lose a bit of the credibility
or influence that is currently in the Middle East, an area that
historically responds to power. In order to keep this credibility
America must follow through on it's current strategic path. Secretary
Clinton stated that there would be unilateral actions, and drone
strikes have backed up this statement. In order to continue to
maintain this power and gain Pakistan's respect, the United States
government cannot go back and forth on positions, and maintain the
aggressive course that has been proposed.
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