Hobson’s choice
Diplomacy at times comes with high-stakes. So is the case with the United States-sponsored ‘Democracy Summit', which unintentionally divides the globe into camp politics. The virtual summit has gained much attraction as it deals with a pivotal issue of state-centric governance, and Pakistan this time too is in a fix whether to participate in it or not. What makes the decision so critical is that it comes with the assumption whether it is a snub to China or not. This is where Islamabad has to make a fair and credible choice. The previous summit held in 2021 was passed on by Pakistan, as it had nursed a number of differences with the Biden administration, and it was thought appropriate to play the China card and stay away. But this time around it is a catch-22 situation, as Pakistan is not in a position to offend China with which it enjoys a lifeline of economy and, likewise, the US that has the nod to prevail over international lenders as the country sits at the brink of a financial default.
The virtual summit co-sponsored by the US Department of State and USAID will see more than 100 nation-states participate in it. This year it has come with an added riddle, as Taiwan has been invited too. While Pakistan has resolved to avoid camp politics, and experience congenial relations with both Beijing and Washington, the equation nonetheless lands it in making the Hobson’s choice. Last but not least, as Pakistan is eager to reset its relations with the US in the wake of its exit from Southwest Asia, and at the same time be part of the multi-billion dollar CPEC with the communist state, it is a case of burning the fingers while taking a call for a democracy summit.
The best way out for Pakistan is to play safe, pledge itself for the values of democracy and at the same time make it categorically clear that its presence at the virtual summit should not be seen as a snub to China. Rather, the summit should come to further the concept of developmental economics in a democratic polity, and China is no stranger to it.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2023.
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