Balancing US Interests in India and Pakistan
Convincing the Pakistani military to focus its attention on the Afghan Taliban and associated groups has so far proved unsuccessful. The Obama administration's reliance on economic incentives and regional peace initiatives, such as a dialogue with India on Kashmir, has failed to deliver tangible results. Instead, India's footprint within Afghanistan has expanded, leaving Pakistani elites ever more anxious. Balancing Indian and Pakistani interests in South Asia remains a top priority for Western governments, and most importantly the US. In the current milieu this will require shifting Western bureaucratic focus from the age old and seemingly intractable Kashmir dispute to maintaining the peace within Afghanistan. This article outlines why this shift should be considered, and how the India--Pakistan trust deficit might be bridged.
The Transformation of U.S.-India Relations: An Explanation for the Rapprochement and Prospects for the Future
The United States and India are enjoying increasingly close relations. This represents a transformation of the two countries9 past relationship, which was characterized by suspicion and distrust. This change, which began with the end of the Cold War, has resulted from a convergence of structural, domestic, and individual leadership factors.
When $10 Billion is not Enough: Rethinking U.S. Strategy toward Pakistan
U.S. engagement with Pakistan is highly militarized and centralized, with very little reaching the vast majority of Pakistanis. U.S. assistance does not reflect a coherent strategy, but a legacy of the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks and a familiar menu of what Washington was already organized to provide.