The United States and Pakistan During Crisis : From the Russian Intervention in Afghanistan to 9/11

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.