American Pressure on
Pakistan Undermines U.S. Image Repair
"Perhaps
dams and health centers will prove useful; but the central goal behind such
projects is to alter America's image. This, too, would have been a key priority
for Pakistan's government, which continues to confront criticism for close
links to Washington."
Comments from Hillary Clinton
that Osama bin Laden is in all likelihood still in Pakistan, are obviously
intended to keep up the pressure on Islamabad. Indeed, this has been the focal
point of Washington's strategy for years. Pakistan, which again faces demands
that it do more to battle terror from the U.S. secretary of state as she co-chaired
the second session of the Pak-U.S. strategic dialogue on Monday, had perhaps
been hoping that at least some of the pressure would be relieved. While there
has been some easing, the U.S. evidently believes it would be unwise to lift it
entirely.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Looking beyond the purely
practical, this means it is somewhat unlikely that the aid package announced by
the United States will serve the primary purpose for which it was intended. Perhaps
dams and health centers will prove useful; but the central goal behind such
projects is to alter America's image. This, too, would have been a key priority
for Pakistan's government, which continues to confront criticism for close
links to Washington.
The opposition of Mrs.
Clinton to a civilian
nuclear deal between Pakistan and China; America's refusal to agree to a
deal on nuclear technology until Pakistan can win greater international trust;
and its reluctance to intervene in water
disputes Pakistan is having with India, will mean that for many in this
country, the U.S. will remain a hostile force. Indeed, Mrs. Clinton herself
referred without reservation to a lack of trust and stressed it would take time
and effort to fill this gap.
Hillary Clinton holds meeting
with Pakistan journalists.
The strategic dialogue. then,
has moved along a middle road. The manner in which it progresses from here is
of course crucial. While in an ideal world, Pakistan would do well to distance itself
from Washington, in practical terms this is unlikely to happen in the near term.
The leadership's dependence on the United States is deeply ingrained and there
appears no willingness to pull it out at the roots. This rather complicates the
messy business of tackling militancy which continues in the north.
Some of the anger that fuels this
militancy is certainly tied in to passionate anti-U.S. sentiment. Washington
has shown some willingness to accommodate Pakistan - by suggesting, for
instance, that it may not be entirely averse to negotiations with terrorists
who renounce violence. But whether this will be enough to alter the larger
picture or make any real difference to the situation is unclear. Only time will
tell.
