Courting Washington
Pakistanis will always be the misunderstood ally as we put no effort into winning hearts and minds of our allies
One must embrace the chaos within to give birth to a dancing star – Nietzsche
It was a bit disconcerting to learn that our foreign ministry was averse to hiring lobbyists in Washington to help our case. Last year, during a dinner interaction with visiting US lawmakers, I had inquired why was there an incredible amount of denial about each country’s support to the other. Besides China, no country has done as much for us than the US. And barring Israel, no country other than Pakistan has withstood this much suffering for the common good of the two countries. If Israeli sacrifices are valued, even treasured, why are our contributions often forgotten? One lawmaker lifted his gaze from his bowl of soup and replied “yeah but you do not put that much effort into reminding us of that as Israelis do.”
And that’s about it. Perhaps, we Pakistanis will always be the misunderstood ally. For one, we are Muslims. Add to it the fact that we are nuclear. And that we live in one of the roughest neighbourhoods in the world. But above everything else, we put no thought or effort into winning hearts and minds of our allies. When your demeanour is stoic, the relationship you have is bound to be transactional.
Want to know what we have done for them? Forget about over 50,000 Pakistani souls lost in the war on terror. Just rewind to the make or break moments of the Cold War. A bipolar world where victory could go either way. Enter Pakistan and Afghanistan. The red tide is reversed. And to realise that we have spent the past 13 years fighting the demons we had to make that victory possible. We have had to pay an arm and a leg.
And want to know what the US did for us? Before the Mutual Defense Agreement between the two countries in 1954, the Pakistan Army’s strength was 250,000 by its own admission and an 80,000 as per the US estimate. Need I remind you that it was before Pakistan even thought of befriending China? Since then, it has grown to a 550,000-strong army. And that’s not it. Like it or despise it, the modernisation of our forces started in those early days. Of course, there were rough patches but countries have strengthened each other in more ways than seems plausible.
And the question of denial, I have raised, whenever I had a new interaction. I did so when I interviewed US Secretary of State John Kerry for television and former Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, James Dobbins. I have shared these questions with coordinator for non-military assistance to Pakistan Robin Raphel (what an incredibly smart and inspiring woman) and countless other representatives of the State department and US think tanks. What amazes me is not the courteous nod but the genuine agreement. The problem then is with our inability to market ourselves as anything more than a piddling little country teetering on the precipice. And the fatal generalisations we have developed about the United States. It appears to me that in such a state we can do with a few lobbyists to help us project our image.
Then, there is the issue of self-defeating pessimism that one has to encounter in Islamabad. The growing US-India warmth must mean Pakistan has no chance to woo Uncle Sam. Not true. India is a miracle in reverse. From almost an open society, it is taking giant leaps backwards. Plus, what is its enormous capital namely its huge population, is also the biggest bottleneck in terms of its efficiency. The day China decides to open up its society and learn to use English more liberally to communicate with the west, the Indian magic will disappear. Whereas, we are just about the right size, quickly democratising, ignorant and inefficient, I grant you, but still with unlimited potential. If we manage to educate our people and build a truly democratic society, it will be a shining example and a moderating effect in the entire Muslim world. As for our anti-Americanism, I tell you, mine disappeared when I saw Barack Obama being elected as president. He is a great metaphor for the American democratic values. A gentle application of American charm and you will not see much anti-Americanism. As for us, let that small girl, that incredibly tall woman, Malala, be the metaphor for our resilience.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2014.
It was a bit disconcerting to learn that our foreign ministry was averse to hiring lobbyists in Washington to help our case. Last year, during a dinner interaction with visiting US lawmakers, I had inquired why was there an incredible amount of denial about each country’s support to the other. Besides China, no country has done as much for us than the US. And barring Israel, no country other than Pakistan has withstood this much suffering for the common good of the two countries. If Israeli sacrifices are valued, even treasured, why are our contributions often forgotten? One lawmaker lifted his gaze from his bowl of soup and replied “yeah but you do not put that much effort into reminding us of that as Israelis do.”
And that’s about it. Perhaps, we Pakistanis will always be the misunderstood ally. For one, we are Muslims. Add to it the fact that we are nuclear. And that we live in one of the roughest neighbourhoods in the world. But above everything else, we put no thought or effort into winning hearts and minds of our allies. When your demeanour is stoic, the relationship you have is bound to be transactional.
Want to know what we have done for them? Forget about over 50,000 Pakistani souls lost in the war on terror. Just rewind to the make or break moments of the Cold War. A bipolar world where victory could go either way. Enter Pakistan and Afghanistan. The red tide is reversed. And to realise that we have spent the past 13 years fighting the demons we had to make that victory possible. We have had to pay an arm and a leg.
And want to know what the US did for us? Before the Mutual Defense Agreement between the two countries in 1954, the Pakistan Army’s strength was 250,000 by its own admission and an 80,000 as per the US estimate. Need I remind you that it was before Pakistan even thought of befriending China? Since then, it has grown to a 550,000-strong army. And that’s not it. Like it or despise it, the modernisation of our forces started in those early days. Of course, there were rough patches but countries have strengthened each other in more ways than seems plausible.
And the question of denial, I have raised, whenever I had a new interaction. I did so when I interviewed US Secretary of State John Kerry for television and former Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, James Dobbins. I have shared these questions with coordinator for non-military assistance to Pakistan Robin Raphel (what an incredibly smart and inspiring woman) and countless other representatives of the State department and US think tanks. What amazes me is not the courteous nod but the genuine agreement. The problem then is with our inability to market ourselves as anything more than a piddling little country teetering on the precipice. And the fatal generalisations we have developed about the United States. It appears to me that in such a state we can do with a few lobbyists to help us project our image.
Then, there is the issue of self-defeating pessimism that one has to encounter in Islamabad. The growing US-India warmth must mean Pakistan has no chance to woo Uncle Sam. Not true. India is a miracle in reverse. From almost an open society, it is taking giant leaps backwards. Plus, what is its enormous capital namely its huge population, is also the biggest bottleneck in terms of its efficiency. The day China decides to open up its society and learn to use English more liberally to communicate with the west, the Indian magic will disappear. Whereas, we are just about the right size, quickly democratising, ignorant and inefficient, I grant you, but still with unlimited potential. If we manage to educate our people and build a truly democratic society, it will be a shining example and a moderating effect in the entire Muslim world. As for our anti-Americanism, I tell you, mine disappeared when I saw Barack Obama being elected as president. He is a great metaphor for the American democratic values. A gentle application of American charm and you will not see much anti-Americanism. As for us, let that small girl, that incredibly tall woman, Malala, be the metaphor for our resilience.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2014.