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Pakistan and the Global War on Terror.
The United States views
Pakistan, its President Pervez Musharraf in particular, as a critical ally in the global war on
terror. Musharraf, for the United States, represents stability
despite the fact that, as Chief of the Army, he led a military coup
in 1999 that overthrew the civilian government in Islamabad.
Nevertheless, Musharraf's tight political control over the country
has stifled opposition from Islamic radicals, which has paved the
way for much needed economic and military aid and to improved
relations with the West. In June 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush
declared Pakistan to be a major non-NATO ally in the war on terror,
a powerful gesture that symbolizes the importance of Pakistan to the
United States. It appears that the United States views a stable
relationship with Pakistan to be more important than nuclear
nonproliferation goals in the region.
Between fiscal years 2002-2006, the United
States gave Pakistan more than $3.5 billion in assistance, in
addition to billions of dollars in reimbursements for contributing
to U.S.-led counter-terrorism efforts. A similar five-year aid package,
in the amount of $3.3 billion dollars, was given to Pakistan in 1981
by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in response to Pakistan's efforts to
help the United States aid and equip the Mujahideen fighting Soviet
forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan also received 40 F-16
fighter jets from the United States between 1983 and 1987 for their
help in Afghanistan. In 1990, the U.S. Congress banned the
further sale of military hardware to Pakistan because of suspicions
that Pakistan was building nuclear weapons. However, in March 2005,
the Bush administration approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to
Pakistan, claiming that the jets were vital to Pakistan's security
and participation in the "war on terror." In September
2006, the United States and Pakistan formalized the deal for new and
used F-16 combat aircraft despite the objections of some members of
the U.S. Congress that Pakistan could use the jets against
India or transfer them to other countries such as China.
In July 2004, the United States and Pakistan
held three days
of first-ever talks on
nuclear safety. The talks, however, were strictly focused on
civilian uses of nuclear power, and did not cover defense-related
nuclear components. The talks encompassed nuclear safety
protocols, which until then, were prohibited by the aforementioned
1990 sanctions placed on Pakistan by the U.S. Congress. The United
States is now considering funding physical security assistance to
Pakistan's nuclear facilities. In March 2006, President Bush made
his first visit to Pakistan to meet with President Musharraf; they
called for a significant expansion of bilateral efforts in the areas
of trade, energy, security, technology, and nonproliferation. Since
then U.S. and Pakistani representatives have met to discuss
counterterrorism and trade cooperation.
India and the Global War on Terror.
India offered its full support to the United States after the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, including full use of its
military bases. As in the case of
Pakistan, nuclear nonproliferation has taken a back seat
in U.S. foreign policy in favor of improving relations. In July
2005, the United States agreed to engage in civil nuclear
cooperation with India despite the fact that India has tested
nuclear weapons and is not a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty. The U.S. Congress has yet to give its final approval to the
nuclear deal, and such cooperation will require changes in
U.S. export control laws as well as
Nuclear Suppliers Group policies.
Improved relations with the United States
are important for India, which may view strengthened ties with
Washington, especially in military terms, as a counterweight to
Chinese influence in the region. Nonetheless, India in 2002 and in
2003 conducted major military exercises with China, a possible sign
that hostilities between the two countries are beginning to abate.
The United States is also a large exporter of
sophisticated military hardware to India. The countries have
concluded multi-million
dollar deals involving modern airborne early-warning (Phalcon)
radars, and counterterrorism equipment. In 2005, the United States
and India agreed on a 10-year
defense cooperation framework.
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Further Reading:
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CRS, K. Alan Kronstadt,
"Pakistan-U.S. Relations" |
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CRS, K. Alan Kronstadt,
"India-U.S. Relations" |
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Robert E. Rehbein, Nonproliferation Review,
"Managing Proliferation in South Asia: A Case for Assistance to Unsafe
Nuclear Arsenals" |
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Force, Ashley Tellis,
"Arming Pakistan" |
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CRS, Richard Cronin, K. Alan Kronstadt,
Sharon Squassoni,
"Pakistan's Nuclear Proliferation Activities and the Recommendations
of the 9/11 Commission: U.S. Policy constraints and Options" |
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CRS, Sharon Squassoni,
"Nuclear Threat Reduction Measures for India and Pakistan" |
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The Washington Quarterly, Ashley
Tellis,
"U.S. Strategy: Assisting Pakistan's Transformation" |
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CRS, Sharon Squassoni & Jill Marie
Parillo,
"U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation: A Side-by-Side Comparison of
Current Legislation" |
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