The Ebb and Flow of Pakistan-US Relations

May 7, 2011
Mark Guzylak-Shergold

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - Meg Riggs

Recent headlines put the spotlight on Pakistan and their relationship with America. We take a quick look back for a year-to-date review of their relations.

A recent article, on the role and motivations for Pakistan's assistance to the U.S. in the killing of Osama bin Laden, brought to the fore relations between these two countries that are more or less left unsaid. It is easy enough to say that Pakistan's government and intelligence 'did the right thing' by creating the situation that led to the end of bin Laden's life, but that would be an overly simplistic understanding of the motivations behind it.

This year's events between Pakistan and America have been turbulent, the undercurrents from which have been intense and persistent.

Pakistani Opinion

A mid-April discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), entitled "Pakistan Update", included a former member of the Pakistani government and current professor at Columbia University, Hassan Abbas. Throughout the talk, Abbas was able to shed some light on the current opinions of what he describes as "moderate, progressive" Pakistanis.

From a certain vantage point, "Pakistan has been a long-time friend of the United States", Abbas said. He cited cooperation between states during military conflicts in the 1950s and 1980s as proof of this.

But there is a lingering problem. Abbas explained that, while on a recent trip to Pakistan, he was posed the question: "Why are the Americans doing this to us?" He turned the question back, asking what do "you think Americans are doing to Pakistan?" And, they replied that "the whole thing is, after all, to take out our nuclear weapons."

So the average Pakistani believes that the entire thrust behind America's policy on Pakistan is the attempt to rid them of their nuclear deterrence. But, events earlier this year certainly did not improve popular Pakistani opinion on the United States.

The Raymond Davis Affair

Recently, their relationship has "started un-raveling". Part of this un-raveling is directly related to what is known as the "Davis case". In late January 2011, an American named Raymond Davis was working as a "technical advisor" for the U.S. Consulate in Pakistan. One night he killed two Pakistanis whom he claimed were trying to rob him.

A Pakistan News Service story on the incident leaves little doubt about the local sentiments of the situation. The article is critical both of Davis's story and of the blunders of local police. Firstly, they questioned his decision to not call the police if he thought he was in danger. Instead, Davis "called his men", meaning other U.S. personnel. Secondly, the article attempts to shame members of the police department. Rather than conducting an investigation of their own, the Capital City Police "seconded the American's version".

This event quickly became a focus in the diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the United States. A month after Davis was arrested, he had still not been released. In a mid-February speech, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton showed her displeasure towards Pakistan. The Pakistan News Service observed that "Clinton was unusually blunt in her criticism of anti-American rhetoric and sentiment" from Pakistanis.

Clinton was possibly referring to the sentiment displayed in an opinion piece titled "Everybody loves Raymond, the double slayer", wherein the author pointed out how much loving attention both governments seemed to be giving Davis. Pakistan's government show their love by bending "the rules to grant him diplomatic immunity", and America's by having President Obama demand his release.

By the time Davis was released on March 16, after having paid an undisclosed sum to several members of his victims' family members, people were protesting him on the streets, calling his deed "an act of terrorism".

Things were certainly tense and likely continue to be.

Correcting Misperceptions

Abbas did a wonderful thing towards the midpoint in the discussion. He called America out on becoming "victims of certain generalizations that [Americans themselves] created." He specifically mentions the misuse of the terms "Al-Qaida" and "Taliban", criticizing them as vague and overly general.

He admitted that, at one time, there were "a group of militants, terrorists", to whom the name Al-Qaida belonged, but they no longer exist. And the term Taliban is a very crude lumping together of three distinct groups of leadership spread across the Pakistan-Afghanistan region.

So, as the American government trumpets these names, they obscure the reality of the situation. Certainly, there are large numbers of people that abhor the actions of the U.S. abroad. That sentiment has been clearly expressed the world over. But they are not organized and united as they are portrayed.

Thus, America is a victim of their own generalizations in the sense that they appear to believe that these groups exist and vanquishing them is necessary to ensure their safety. Abbas was skeptical of the efficacy this situation.

The Fallout

With such an antagonism existing in Pakistan towards America, one wonders how the Pakistani government and intelligence services could have conspired to assist America in eliminating Osama bin Laden.

Columnist M.K. Bhadrakumar describes this event as an exchange between states. For the U.S., it was "the ultimate test of trustworthiness for the Pakistani military as an ally." And for this favor that America owes them, "Pakistani military leadership will expect a quid pro quo from Obama" according to Bhadrakumar.

Conclusion

The joint effort by Pakistan and America in the organizing of the plot to kill bin Laden indicates that their relationship is possibly in an upswing. But, what remains in Pakistan is an extreme distrust of Americans in their country, especially amongst the average person.

But where, at the end of the day, do the loyalties of Pakistani politicians lay? Are they firmly connected to their people, only cooperating with Americans so that they continue to receive very generous aid from them? Or, does the Pakistani government truly wish to forge a long term, stable relationship with the United States, in spite of the fact that, according to a member of the CFR panel, "the overwhelming majority of the population believes that 9/11 was actually a CIA/[Israeli] plot"?

It is impossible to predict how this situation will resolve itself. For the time being, Pakistan appears to be keeping a safe distance from the United States. But they're careful not to push them too far away. The billions of dollars that flow from the U.S. to Pakistan's military is a precious resource. So precious that it is likely to continue luring Pakistani leadership towards the bargaining table with their American counterparts. At least for the foreseeable future.

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