US & Pakistan: Trying to Do Better (PAKISTAN)

Differences on approach will remain between the US and Pakistan, but perhaps we can now build on the fact that America’s national interest is tied to the stability of a Pakistan that is able to satisfy the basic needs of its people

President Zardari’s visit to Washington is far from over, but we have a good idea by now of the thrust of discussions with the Obama administration and what probably lies ahead in terms of the obligations and responsibilities the participants have agreed to assume.

Much of this will be informed speculation since so far no one has provided any detailed briefing on what exactly was decided.

Clearly, political and security-related goals are the ones that will have dominated discussions, but here I intend to focus on what we can see emerging in the economic sphere. In our current situation, it would appear that security-related cooperation, which will address the shortcomings in our counter-insurgency capabilities, is the priority but there is a clear realisation, as was apparent from President Obama’s remarks about the fragility of the present government in Pakistan, that the inability of governments in both countries to address the basic needs of the people and the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots lie at the root of the discontent that fuels insurgency. This problem needs to be addressed with the same urgency as the security situation.

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