This discussion argues that the United States-Pakistan alliance of 1954
emerged because American strategic concerns for the Middle East, arising in the
aftermath of the Korean War and based upon a recognition of Britain's declining
ability to defend the region, coincided with Pakistan's strategic needs as a newlyindependent
nation. The United States believed that Pakistan-a moderate Islamic
nation, situated on the eastern flank of the Middle East, and ideologically inclined
toward the West-could assist Western efforts to protect the Middle East from Soviet
influence, penetration, or attack. This discussion further argues that the United
States only brought Pakistan into the Western strategic network when a series of
events made it seem that Asia would be the next battleground for the Cold War and
after it was clear that if containment were to be extended to South Asia, Pakistan
was the only choice available. Pakistan's persistent and sophisticated courtship of
the United States differed greatly from India's efforts to remain neutral in the Cold
War. And this discussion argues that the alliance was consistent with the broader
policies of both the Truman and Eisenhower administrations and that it stemmed
not from American interests in South Asia but from Washington's global strategic
efforts to contain the Soviet Union. Consequently, the United States-Pakistan
alliance was not the result of American attempts to "contain" or dominate India, of
Anglo-American competition over the subcontinent and the Middle East, or of
American efforts to establish economic hegemony over South Asia. Indeed, as the
United States' fears for Middle Eastern security subsided, so did its commitment to
the alliance with Pakistan. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/5377 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Larson, Wade Jeffrey |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 6048953 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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