THE EVOLUTION OF PAKISTAN'S STRATEGIC CULTURE: A COMPARISON OF TRADITIONAL VS. NON-TRADITIONAL THREAT PERCEPTIONS

Abstract

This research tries to demonstrate a causal link between how conventional security issues are intertwined with nontraditional security difficulties, preventing them from always qualifying for a high priority position in Pakistan's strategic decision-making. The research looks at how Pakistan is stuck in a "tunnel vision trap" where it is unable to prioritise non-traditional security problems above conventional national security difficulties due to a constant emphasis on traditional security issues. The research finds that despite the fact that it addresses strategic red lines responsibly and cautiously both inside and outside of its area, its high priority for conventional threat perceptions weighs down on its internal nontraditional security concern. The study comes to the conclusion that Pakistan's historic emphasis on security in making decisions does not change even while shifting from the pursuit of geoeconomic goals to the geostrategic prioritising of national interest. Due to this architecture's linked securitization, all transitional junctions to its strategic culture are useless or unimportant.