Rabia Akhtar

As the Sino-US competition in the Asia-Pacific picks up pace, there are chances of confrontation between the two powers. Except for India, the US does not enjoy good relations with any major country in the Asian region, enough for that nation to choose a side should geo-strategic confrontation demand so.

The US has confrontational relations with China and Russia. With the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, the US also does not have good relations with Pakistan since both countries are trying to find some meaning in their bilateral relations now that the Afghanistan-Pakistan label has finally been stripped off. The US and Iran are on a path of confrontation with not much hope for the resurrection of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the near future. Within the Central Asian Republics, the Russian influence keeps the US at bay leaving little room for manoeuvre and win favourites.

Turkey’s exclusion from the Summit of Democracy hosted by the US clearly signals that their relationship is at an all-time low. Given this, what does the US expect from the region it is isolated from? Perhaps too much after its performance in Afghanistan. While there is much talk and unnecessary alarm about Pakistan putting all its eggs in the China basket, there is an Indian basket one needs to visualise carrying all the US eggs since no one else is available to share the burden of an unreliable ally like the US. Even the US partners in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore and Vietnam, are sceptical of its resolve and commitment after witnessing its messy withdrawal from Afghanistan.

There are two questions of importance for Pakistan giv