The fact that the leaders of the United States have routinely been misleading global public opinion, and more importantly their own people, about global issues at large and ‘threats’ to American security, in particular, manifests itself once again in the shape of Trump’s new National Security Strategy.
The strategy paper launched two days ago in Washington D.C. by Donald Trump – the president whose first-year ratings are at the lowest ebb against all his predecessors – has been criticized from all around the world.
China, the country negatively highlighted by Trump some two dozen times in his speech as a threat and challenge to America, has reacted by terming it as ‘Cold War mentality,’ rightly so.
Let us not forget that just a few weeks ago, during his first visit to China as America’s president, Trump highlighted great chemistry with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Russia also reacted sharply, denying Mr. Trump’s assertions that the resurgent country in any way was threatening America. So did others.
But let us keep this brief piece limited to Pakistan.
The American president did not – as a matter of fact – talk much about Pakistan during his speech delivered from the Ronald Reagan Building in the capital city. But the words he uttered about Pakistan indeed were against facts, outrageous, and misleading.
“We have made clear to Pakistan that while we desire continued partnership, we must see decisive action against terrorist groups operating on their territory. And we make massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help,…” said the American leader globally known for his ramblings of all sorts.
Note the words: ‘massive payments.’ Going by the figures alone, yes, these may seem to be massive. And that is how the American leaders have been selling it to their people and the world, consistently.
Between 2002 (the first year after the start of America’s so-called ‘War on Terror’) and 2016, Pakistan received a total of $ 33.4 billion from them.
But let us make it clear that some 44% of it, $ 14.57 billion, was the payment against the infrastructure and services of Pakistan used by the Americans. That leaves $ 18.8 billion paid as ‘aid.’
These figures have been compiled by US’ own institutions.
Well, in pure economic and financial terms, these figures may lead just about anyone to see them as ‘massive’. But the size of a payment is always meaningless unless seen in comparison with the cost it is being paid against.
Figures tell us that America’s devastating war in the region – with its fall-outs well felt over Pakistan now – has cost the Islamic Republic over $ 123 billion in the same period of past 16 years. This is more than six times of what the Americas boast as ‘aid.’
This writer has been pointing out since 2009, when the whole discourse was overly appreciative of the ‘aid’ flowing into Pakistan, that what Islamabad gets from Washington is much less than even what should be an appropriate reimbursement for being a front-line state in the American-led campaign. Facts coming out now are proving the same.
It would be useful and interesting to highlight here that during the single financial year of 2010-11, Pakistan’s losses from terrorists’ actions against it were over $ 23 billion, considerably more than America’s total ‘aid’ over past 16 years until now.
Even when we analyze the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) payments to Pakistan, we find that this has a been a case of ‘too late and too little’ as Americans have not only withheld some payments for long but paid actually much less than what was calculated and billed as costs by Pakistan.
In this scenario, it is absolutely nonsense of a leader of such an important country to expect from a nation like Pakistan to feel obliged to do what he or his country wants, especially so when the feeling in Pakistan is that doing the same would be against Pakistan’s own national interests.
Let us also make it clear – and both civilian and military leaders from Pakistan have made it clear many a times – that Islamabad was not, is not and will not fight against terrorism for money, for any aid, at all.
Past four years have seen American payments to Pakistan decline even further. For this year’s budget, the American Congress has authorized only $ 700 million for Pakistan – half of which is conditional to the confirmation of the Secretary of Defense that Pakistan is ‘cooperating’ as they would like too.
The other requirement of Mr Trump from Pakistan is to “continue demonstrating that it is a responsible steward of its nuclear assets”. Outrageous, as it sounds. Does it need any reminder for anyone in the world that which nation on the planet has so far been the most irresponsible in terms of use of nukes?
It is positive to note that not only the leadership – both civilian and military – is cautious in moving ahead in sync with American desires but the overall discourse in Pakistan is also supportive of a realistic course of action.
No one in Pakistan and we hope beyond, is impressed by either the fake claims of aid or by the threats to cut the same. Yet, no one would be wise to suggest a confrontation of any sorts with America either.
All that is needed is to readjust Pakistan’s global and regional engagements considering the changing geostrategic, geopolitical and geo-economic realities in our neighbourhood, and beyond.
