How will the change in US administration impact Pak-US relations in the future?

Democrats are pro-India while the republicans are pro-Pakistan. Critically analyse the statement. How will the change in US administration impact Pak-US relations in the future?

We have become accustomed to seeing and believing in black and white; we perceive concepts and personalities in a reductionist manner. There are always many aspects to any issue – a plethora of variables govern the characteristics of any ideology, democratic or republican. However, the most dominating variable for the Government of the United States of America is an ideology that has proven itself in countless foreign policy imbroglios: it is the concept of adhering to the national interest.

A vast country with a diverse nation such as the USA can not afford to pander to any other country. Throughout history, American leaders such as Abe Lincoln and even George Bush Jr have tried to do what is beneficial to their corner of the world. Hence, the reductionist view that either party inherently favours one country over the other is simply bigoted and false. Once a president, republican or democratic, has started functioning then he serves the USA and her interests. Essentially, being democratic or republican has no bearing on a nation's foreign policy.

The American foreign policy undergoes many examinations and cross examinations after which a report is presented to the president – who, on the advice of his cabinet and the senate, makes the decision. A brief analysis of the procedure adhered to in the constructing of America's foreign policy will show that policy remains largely unaffected if it is in the nation's interest and has proven beneficial. Therefore, a change in U.S administration does not in itself mark a new "dawn" in US-Pakistan relations; however, it does mark a change in perspective on past and future policies. It also signifies an understanding that past policies have not benefited the USA and future policies must be moulded to account for the changed ground realities.

Ground realities are something past American administrations have ignored and reneged on their promise to change them. One of the ground realities that has, however, been changed is the issue of the American U-turn on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The argument that republicans are pro-Pakistan fails to offer a comprehensive counter when faced with the fact that it was the republicans who were the architects of the troubled Indo-American nuclear deal. A deal that democratic President Barrack Obama has sought to seal and further. On the other hand, Pakistan was offered no such deal and, instead was given a polite political snub during Bush Jr's visit; he discussed a variety of economic and business models in his tour to India and upon arriving in Pakistan all he did was to learn cricket from the national captain. President Barrack Obama has included an Indian American in his cabinet in a sign of fostering relations between the oldest and largest democracy.

Pakistani defense analysts would not have any qualms about improved Indo-American relations had Pakistan been offered a similar deal. The fact of the matter remains that the incumbent administration has done more against the Pakistani national interest than the past one: predator drone attacks have been continued and even intensified; the Pakistani intelligence agency has been put further pressure on and an American aid agreement has been tied to gaining access to the A.Q. Khan nuclear network. Perhaps, Pakistan is losing its strategic importance – or perhaps, more relevantly, it has forgotten its strategic importance.

Due to the inherent nature of Pakistan's political process, Pakistan has found itself a proxy tool in the hands of successive American administrations. Historically speaking relations between the two nations have only been good during times when Pakistan presented itself as a valuable "asset" in the region. The Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1970 was an event that heralded a new and strong relationship between the USA and Pakistan. Pakistan was able to provide a proxy base in order to fight off the invading Soviet Union. After the Soviet collapse, the USA had no immediate use for Pakistan and relations thawed. The nadir in relations was reached with the passage of the 1985 Presslar amendment banning the sale of F-16s to Pakistan in response to its nuclear program.

September 11 was the day that Pakistan regained its strategic importance. However, over the past few years, Pakistani politicians have forgotten and as a consequence failed: they have forgotten Pakistan's Geo-political strategic importance and failed to construct a foreign policy based on the national interest through a lack of a single coherent and logical voice.

Relations will have to get worse before the can get better – Pakistan must develop a backbone and prepare for short term economic woes so that it can govern itself with a policy that serves the national interest of Pakistan and not those of the USA. In return the USA must learn to respect the strategic concerns of all its allies and take a more Multi-lateral approach. The current administration's foreign policy is a continuation and intensification of obsolete policies that create more problems. Perhaps the only variable that can cause a significant impact for the better is a change in Pakistan's perceived fawning and servile attitude to the USA.

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