The United States and Pakistan During Crisis : From the Russian Intervention in Afghanistan to 9/11
Loading...
Date
2012
Access
Authors
Huffman, Margaret M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
East Carolina University
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the major influences on the Pakistan-United States relationship in an effort to identify patterns that could help future policymakers. Throughout the relationship, various levels of government players -- the president, members of Congress, diplomats, Secretaries of State, and other high-ranking members of government agencies -- have shaped American foreign policy toward Pakistan. Occasionally, the groups struggled for power amongst themselves for control of America's Pakistan policy. The factors that most affected the relationship were: crises in Afghanistan, American aid and arms sales to Pakistan, India, nuclear proliferation, and Pakistan's historic struggle between its military establishment and democratic institutions. The Pakistan-United States relationship has been characterized by periods of amity as well as mutual distrust. Immediately before the first Afghan crisis in 1979, the Pakistan-United States relationship suffered from Pakistan's withdrawal from CENTO, arms embargoes, and a marked discord between the two governments. The peak of the relationship occurred in 1986. In 1986, Pakistan accepted a generous six-year aid program from the United States, the relationship between the heads-of-state was friendly, and the Russian troops in Afghanistan were taking heavy losses. This thesis analyzes the deciding factors in the Pakistan-United States relationship since Pakistan's creation while focusing on the periods of crisis in Afghanistan. It also seeks an explanation for the changes from the occasionally strong Pakistan-United States relationship to the weaker periods in the relationship.