News
Saturday, August 25, 2007
‘Democratic Pakistan in US interest’* US foreign policy expert says Pakistan called US and not other way round
* Says Americans do not see Osama as leader of IslamStaff Report
LAHORE: A democratic Pakistan will in the interest of the US, said US foreign policy expert Walter Russell Mead, a Henry Kissinger senior fellow for US foreign policy in the Council on Foreign Relations.
He was speaking on the ‘US Foreign Policy towards Pakistan Before and After 9/11’ at the Punjab University’s Pakistan Study Centre on Friday. He said a military government was not good for the US and it wanted to see Pakistan as a prosperous and democratic Muslim society.
On whether Pakistan was insignificant for the US in the region as compared to other countries, he said, “Yes and no. Pakistan is not bigger than India and Japan and perhaps can’t be.”
To a question on the role of the US in Pakistan, Mead said, “It was not the US coming to Pakistan but Pakistan calling the US. You have been calling us on telephone and do not blame us for answering your calls.” Being a supporter of democracy, the US has always opened its door to everyone, he added. He said Pakistan sought US help because the country needed it since it was smaller than its neighbour. He said India and Pakistan should resolve the Kashmir issue mutually.
Mead said Pakistan had a critical role for balancing power in the rising Asia and therefore, it would continue enjoying attention from the US. He said a cold war between China and the US over Asia’s future was possible but not likely. He said the cold war between the US and Russia was a struggle over the future of Europe and with its end, the focus shifted to the Middle East.
He said, “Asia will be a priority for the US in future because of the growing economy and new markets while Pakistan as a country, is very important for the long-term stability of Asia.” He said though Pakistan was not as big as China or India in terms of size and economy, it still had an important role to play because of its geo-political existence. “The nuclear power it possesses is certainly an advantage,” he observed. He said the US had developed close relations with India “to maintain balance of power in the region”.
Mead said Americans started thinking about Islam after 9/11. “Islam is being read and discussed among Americans now,” he said, adding that they did not see Osama Bin Laden as a leader of Islam. He said discussions on the religion had changed their perception.
He said, “After 9/11, America sees Pakistan as the absolute leader in the Muslim world” because Pakistan was the bridge between the Muslim world and the rest of the world.
He said Muslims were not the problem in the war on terror they were the solution. He negated the theory of clash of civilisations. He said the US-Israeli relationship was overestimated by the world.
Earlier, Pakistan Study Centre director Prof Musarrat Abid spoke about the centre’s performance.
PU registrar Dr Muhammad Naeem Khan, officers from the US Consulate, PU faculty members and a large number of students attended the lecture.
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk