Leverage and largesse: Pakistan's post-9/11 partnership with America*

Abstract

Notwithstanding the close partnership between Washington and Islamabad that has developed over the past half-dozen years, Pakistan today is viewed by Americans as a country inimical to the interests and values of the United States. This article seeks to gauge the impact of Pakistan's close ties with Washington since 9/11. In important respects, the partnership has brought the government of Pervez Musharraf substantial benefits, including international legitimacy, the lifting of US sanctions, debt relief, access to sophisticated technology, a helpful American role in reducing tensions with India, and massive amounts of economic and military assistance. Yet the vast majority of the Pakistani people have an unfavourable view of the United States—in part because of its military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq, but in good measure because the policies of the George W. Bush administration have served to sustain Musharraf's hold on political power. Desirous of avoiding contentious issues for fear of exacerbating Pakistani apprehensions of abandonment, the Bush administration has never spelled out at what point Pakistani misbehaviour would cause it to rethink the virtues of the blank cheque. As a consequence, it has failed to lay the groundwork for an enduring bilateral partnership once Musharraf has left the scene.