The complex relationship between Pakistan and the United States has hit another low. The strain in ties was exposed when the Congress refused to finance the F-16 fighter jets that Pakistan had requested. Further severeness in the relation followed when a surprise unilateral drone strike in Balochistan killed the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor.
Both episodes shattered the much-touted claim that the bilateral relationship is on a ‘positive trajectory’. This characterisation was used time and again by not only the Pakistani mission in Washington, but also by almost every official delegation from Pakistan visiting the US, including even the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Raheel Sharif.
In November 2015, commenting on his meeting with the US officials here in Washington, the army chief said that military to military relations were at their best and the relations with the American administration were on a ‘positive trajectory’.
Over time, the mythical ‘positive trajectory’ has been nose-diving. There are serious reasons for that, among them the lack of vision to lead the diplomatic corps and the lack of understanding of how Washington works.
Yet, the last two incidents are not necessarily a diplomatic quagmire but definitely a policy failure. It was the military that requested for the planes, it was the military that pursued the deal, and it was the aid for the military that was to be used to finance the planes. It was also the expectation from the military to take action against the Haqqani Network. So, to blame the diplomatic mission for the debacles would not be entirely fair.
What needs to be acknowledged is that Washington is unlike Islamabad. It’s a tiny town where international politics reigns. Since it conveniently houses the White House, State Department, foreign embassies and the Pentagon just across the river, it is intriguing and interesting, dull and dramatic all at the same time. As a political hub it breathes diplomacy.
The way to get things done isn’t confined to one place though. The town has multiple centres of power — the executive branch to the legislative branch, greedy lobbyists to academic think tank experts.
To cut through all these steps, you need a subtle strategy that requires hearty diplomats who understand politics. Diplomacy is about getting others to play our game, and in the near past diplomats like Richard Holbrooke proved it. He settled the Dayton Peace Accords as a young diplomat, just by thinking out of the box. As the special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, he led the way to a resolution by convincing parties bogged down in conflict to believe that he was speaking their language, their mind. He was not just a career diplomat, he became a miracle worker who knew his way around Washington. www.thenews.com.pk
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