Pakistan and America: To the Bitter End

Even though America’s relationship with Pakistan has been strained tremendously, the two states still remain allies.

There were fears last month that there might be a military confrontation between the U.S. and Pakistan. But instead of fighting each other, the U.S. and Pakistan entered into an awkward sort of conciliation.

American policy is divided; on one side are people who are eager to fight Islamic radicals and are angry at Pakistan for meddling in southern and eastern Afghanistan, and on the other are people who are worried about “losing tabs” on Pakistani nukes and losing Pakistani assistance in stopping terror attacks in the West.

For the moment, ties between the U.S. and Pakistan remain, but are loose. The U.S. recently denied Pakistan military aid, and is more willing than ever to support things that Pakistan hates, such as Afghanistan’s improving relations with India.

Going into the future, Afghanistan will remain the most important point at issue in America’s relationship with Pakistan.

http://www.economist.com/node/21532322

Andrew Elam