Indo –US Strategic Partnership and Its Fall Outs on Pakistan

Abstract

After cold war, the US arose as a super power in international order. The US however enjoyed cordial relationship with both Pakistan and India during Cold war era and post - Cold war era. However, as per the realist tradition, the US also kept its national interests ahead and thus has been utilizing Pakistan and India as per its strategic interests. The US role in the South Asian politics is a prominent and decisive while evaluating South Asia as a region. The conflictual relationship of India and Pakistan provides vacuum to triangular ties among the USA, India and Pakistan. Pakistan’s relationship with the United States entered into a new phase after war on terrorism, where Pakistan was declared as Non NATO ally of the United Sates against the war on terrorism. However, the American President George W. Bush’s visit to India in 2005-06 and signing of major agreements of strategic collaboration and nuclear cooperation, proved a shift in the USA - Pakistan relations. This research paper poses that one of the reasons of increasing Indo-USA strategic ties is due to historical cooperation between Pakistan and China. The United States changed its policy of isolationism and emerged as a major power. While enjoying the role of only superpower the US has cashed arch rivalry between both neighboring courtiers and lack of trust. Reflections of converging interests include: US-India Subsequent Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) initiative, signing of 123 Nuclear Agreement, missile defense, and ten-year “defense framework agreement” that calls for expanding bilateral security assistance. The incidents like Salala attack, Raymond Davis case and U.S led Osama Bin Laden killing operation within the jurisdiction of Pakistan also played in role in fallout between Pakistan and USA. Pakistan cannot afford to remain oblivious to these developments due to their security implications. A combination of pragmatic foreign policy backed with credible conventional and nuclear deterrence could serve desired national security interests. The study will be strictly confined to the South Asian region in order to ascertain the US-India strategic partnership in the context of conflictual relationship of India and Pakistan. To analyze and cover all the features of “Indo-US strategic Nexus” and its fall outs on Pakistan, quantitative and qualitative method will be used.