PAKISTAN AND THE UNITED STATES: A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP 1951-1992
One of the greatest successes of American foreign policy since the end of the Second World War is the persuasion of a large number of diverse countries with highly disparate objectives that each of them enjoys a special relationship with the United States. Each of these so-called special relationships has been carefully crafted by the United States to promote its own objectives while addressing the concerns of the partner state only to the extent necessary to preserve the facade. Even the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States which is held to be based in a common social and political heritage as well as shared international objectives is replete with instances of American policy actions that have worked to the detriment of the partner state.
The myth of the special relationship survives in the 1990s with many states feeling sure that they are one of the anointed. One such state is Pakistan. This research examines the character of Pakistani-American international relations during the 1951-1992 period. The relationship between the two countries is examined through explorations of the effects of Cold War objectives, nuclear policy, and Islamic fundamentalism on the relationship.
Cold War Objectives and the Relationship Between Pakistan and the United States
The Cold War was initiated by the United States primarily as a manifestation of a paranoid fear of Soviet intentions specifically and communist generally. Pursuit of the Cold War by the United States was predicated on bottling-up the Soviet Union within that country's own borders. Accomplishment of this objective required that the United States develop reliable alliances with countries with common borders with the Soviet Union who could be depended upon to accept American military and economic assistance to support American containment objectives.
India was a logical ...