Diplomatic balance

By editorial board

Waiting for an ‘opportune time’ may be a good idea in certain cases but the length of the wait may also have some undesirable results. The Foreign Office’s announcement about Pakistan’s willingness to engage with the US in the future appears to be an attempt to downplay the ramifications of the government’s decision not to participate in the Washington Summit for Democracy. The reasons behind this decision are not hard to guess. Gradually a new situation is emerging in this region with respect to Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and their expected trajectory towards the US. Pakistan, and Prime Minister Imran Khan, have made it clear that Pakistan wishes to bring peace where it can to the world rather than engage in any process of taking sides, which can assist in the development of new blocs as existed during the cold-war era.

The world is once again heading towards a bipolar dispensation that put the world in tension during most of the second half of the 20th century. Pakistan – though part of the US bloc – did play a role in facilitating a rapprochement between China and the US in the 1970s. Now the challenge is to sustain good relations with both China and the US. Even if this is the beginning of a new cold war, it is not mandatory for all countries to join one bloc or the other; and that’s where the crux of the matter lies. While Pakistan has decided to stay away from the US summit on democracy, but stated that it will engage with the US on certain issues when necessary, we ask if it is a wise move to avoid the summit. Many nations that are not part of either bloc, or are seen as being hostile to the US, had the foresight to take part in the summit.

Pakistan needs to play our cards extremely carefully and with great skill. We will need to see if our key policymakers are capable of this. While backing China and avoiding the creation of new blocs is obviously a desirable situation, the question is whether Pakistan can achieve it – especially if it is working as a lone entity rather than as a vital part of a global alliance or collection of nations. In the past Pakistan has paid a price, as a result of being part of pro-US alliances and it clearly wishes not to repeat the same mistakes. But at the same time, it must remember, whether it likes it or not, that the past cannot be eradicated so quickly.

The US and Pakistan need to work together on climate change, on democracy and on other issues including finding a solution to the mess left behind after the rapid US pullout from Afghanistan. To achieve this, they must talk. Pakistan is right in seeking peace and an end to blocs. But the country must also ensure that it does not fall into the trap of going into a Chinese-led collection of nations at a time when tensions between the US and China are sky-high and the US and its closest allies have threatened to boycott the Winter Olympics in China as well as other events. Pakistan needs to be able to keep open ties and talks with both nations and by doing so, benefit from both of them in whatever they can offer. Failing to do so would be a mistake and a repetition of mistakes made in the past. Foreign policy is a game of balancing things carefully – and Pakistan needs to tread carefully as it is not suggestible to put – as they say – all eggs in one basket.