Trump and South Asia: Politics of Pakistan-US Relations in Perspective

Abstract

The security and economic architecture of South Asia is in a flux. US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a new South Asia policy in August 2017 has added to the complexities. While his proposed strategy is not very different from that of his predecessors, who saw Pakistan as a breeding ground for cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan and India rather than vice versa, his desire of an increased Indian role in Kabul has created more concerns in Islamabad. This policy can create further divide in an already fragile and least integrated region, where unresolved political issues, especially between the two nuclear armed countries, i.e. India and Pakistan, still keep on simmering. In this context, this paper analyses President Trump’s South Asia policy in view of Pakistan-US relations and the region.