Experts say Donald Trump’s choices Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman Mike Waltz signal a clear shift toward strengthening the US-India alliance.... but also likely at the expense of Pakistan.
“Trump’s senior appointees will likely be quite skeptical — if not hostile — toward deepening US-Pakistan ties, given their experiences in Afghanistan, their valuation of the US-India relationship, and their concerns over Pakistan’s relationship with China,” said Joshua White, a former senior advisor to the White House on South Asian Affairs.
Shuja Nawaz, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre, stresses that Pakistan’s role in US strategy remains largely confined to counter-terrorism, particularly in Afghanistan. “Pakistan’s utility to the US is primarily in counter-terrorism. It’s unlikely to rank high in terms of positive engagement,” Nawaz said.
The anticipated nomination of Mike Waltz as national security adviser is expected to further tilt the balance toward US-India defence cooperation. Waltz, a strong proponent of military collaboration with India, is also the co-chair of the Indian Caucus in Congress.
He is expected to push for deepening the US-India partnership, especially as both countries desire to counter growing security challenges from China, says an article in Pakistan's leading English daily 'Dawn'.
Uzair Younus of The Asia Group agrees that Trump’s appointees, particularly Rubio and Waltz, are likely to maintain a hardline stance toward Pakistan.
Younus also points to Rubio’s history of criticizing leaders who leverage anti-American sentiment for domestic political gain, a stance that could hurt Pakistan's political party PTI’s efforts to solicit Trump’s support to get Imran Khan released.
It is worth pointing out that new Secretary of State Rubio is a known strong advocate for countering China.
In July 2024 he had introduced legislation aimed at elevating India’s status to that of a key US ally, reflecting the growing strategic defence and technology cooperation between the two nations.
Rubio’s long-standing stance on South Asia, including efforts to limit US assistance to Pakistan over its support for Kashmiris’ struggle for freedom, further emphasises the policy direction.
His bill titled “United States-India Defense Cooperation Act of 2024” sought a mandate that the US Secretary of State will have to track and report all instances in which Pakistan has used “offensive force, including the use of proxies” against India, provided safe havens to terror groups, and the assistance Pakistan has provided to militants in “the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir”.
In a statement, Rubio also had said in July 2024, “Communist China continues to aggressively expand its domain in the Indo-Pacific region, all while it seeks to impede the sovereignty and autonomy of our regional partners.
It’s crucial for the U.S. to continue its support in countering these malicious tactics. India, along with other nations in the region, is not alone.”
All these and more have left Pakistan worried and perhaps an influential section of Left-liberals leaking their wounds.
Shuja Nawaz of Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre also warned that Pakistan may not be high on the list of positive priorities of the Trump administration.
Waltz served in Afghanistan and will likely carry the memories of having lost comrades in the eastern region where the Haqqani Network operated, he said.
“He also might further subscribe to the Biden administration view that Pakistan is now in the Chinese lap,” Nawaz told 'Dawn' newspaper adding: “Pakistan will need to show that it can improve its economy to garner US support via the International Financial Institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and ADB.”
 |
| 2Plus2 ... could be five/six : Team Trump and Team Modi in 2018, Delhi |
ends
No comments:
Post a Comment