Today, America is viewed as a maverick on warpath. Survey after survey shows a global decline of American popularity among both friends and foes. Even an association with Bush policy cut short political fortunes of many. Former British prime minister Tony Blair and former president Pervez Musharraf are among the few who were sidelined for toeing Bush policy.
The Bush policy is fraught with disasters. Iraqi invasion was a direct manifestation of failed Bush doctrine. The invasion cost America hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands in human lives. Indian nuclear deal is another example of short-sighted Bush foreign policy. It envisioned a one time Soviet and now Russian ally India to be its linchpin.
Now, some pro-India American hawks are aggressively lobbying the Obama Administration for an extension of Bush policy. At the same time, a concerted effort is in full swing to change Obamas Pakistan policy. They insist on de-hyphenating India from Pakistan; which will remain a pipe dream as long as India and Pakistan remain entangled over one or the other issue. Most experts believe the two will remain in a belligerent relationship till the root cause of their rivalry, the Kashmir issue, is amicably resolved.
Despite severe criticism, Pakistan is still the front-line state in war against terror. Pakistan has lost more men and material in the war than rest of the countries put together. World is still trying to recover from the blowback of premature American departure from Afghanistan after the Communist Soviet Union was defeated. The departure left both Afghanistan and Pakistan high and dry to fend for themselves. Consequently, the resulting vacuum was filled by the religious extremists, Taliban; who in-turn provided sanctuaries to the terrorist organisations like al Qaeda.
Post 9/11 invasion, instead of filling the Afghan vacuum with a political solution punctuated by military muscle, the Bush Administration chose to stay in Afghanistan with guns blazing. Even worst, instead of seeking Pakistans advice or heading to their concerns, the Nato installed an anti-Pakistan and pro-Indian Northern Alliance government in Afghanistan.
If that wasnt bad enough, under the garbs of nation building, Nato permitted massive Indian build-up in Afghanistan. Pakistan viewed the eleven Indian consulates dotting its western border as command-and-control centers to destabilise and possibly fracture Pakistan, yet again.
Instead of heeding to short-sighted calls of continuation of failed Bush policy, Obama administration should immediately reverse the Bush policy. To begin with, it needs to advice India in no uncertain terms, hands off Pakistan. America should also cease the arbitrary drone attacks that account for overwhelming civilian casualties and results in a severe anti-American backlash.
Obama policy should add political and monetary dimensions to the strategy of winning the hearts and minds of highly alienated Afghans and Pakistanis. Finally, it needs to bring both India and Pakistan to the table to hammer out a long lasting solution to the satisfaction of Kashmiris too. A Kashmir solution reflecting the true aspirations of Kashmiris will go a long way in confidence building and normalisation of overwhelmingly contentious Indo-Pak relationship.
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