The use of military force along
with economic bribes and sanctions are instrument of coercive power also known
as hard power. Whereas, the use of public diplomacy in the form of aid and
cultural influence is known as soft power, a phenomenon predominantly gaining
grounds in international relations. Despite of the term ‘soft’ no power is
naive. Every power resource is an instrument to get something done that would
not be done otherwise. In this context of power discourse, the Pakistan-US
contains a power relation where the US is employing its power resources inside
Pakistan for achieving its national security objectives.
On the day of assuming charge, the former US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham
Clinton unveiled her administration’s foreign policy agenda based on ‘Smart
Power’ that has continued till date.Apparently, shifting away from the President
Bush’s unilateral military driven foreign policy, the Obama administration has
been pursuing a more balanced approach in the US foreign policy. The ‘Smart
Power’ is an integrated approach that combines the components of ‘hard power’ or
coercive means such as military and economic tools with ‘soft power’ or
non-coercive tools such as public diplomacy, political ideals, cultural and
legal aspects of the US power for successfully the US national security
objectives inPakistan and Afghanistan. Applying a combination of these tools or
any tool according to situational requirement is the cardinal feature of the
‘Smart Power’ based foreign policy approach. Though the ‘Smart Power’ strategy
is an outcome of the realization that the global influence of theUS military
driven foreign policy is shrinking, leading to a rupture in the US relations
with its key allies, nevertheless, this approach is not as balanced as it seems.
The notion of over use of hard power is something that has been quite evident in
the case of the US strategy in Pakistan.
In this aspect the US ‘Smart Power’ strategy is its relationship with Pakistan
is very important to understand. Pakistan is arguably the litmus test to
evaluate if the US Smart power driven agenda is moving in right direction. The
US is leading a Global War on Terror (GWOT) in Afghanistan since October 2001
and AfPak, as enunciated by President Obama is pivotal in fighting global
terrorism. The term AfPak,reflects the war zone is not only confined to
Afghanistan. For the US, Pakistan has been the key partner in fighting GWOT
particularly in its western tribal areas bordering Afghanistan that allegedly
harbor key al-Qaeda and Taliban figures. Pakistan is, therefore, crucial in the
US strategy to win war in Afghanistan.
However, the US Smart Power based policies have raised concerns in Pakistan.
Applying the defense, diplomacy and development as the US foreign policy
strategy in Pakistan to this point has not been a trouble free path. The use of
hard power has aroused anti-American public sentiments while reducing the
favorable US image despite of increased aid and development projects in
Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan-US relations have witnessed various setbacks due
to increased focus on hard power and diverging interests on key issues such as,
End Game in Afghanistan, Indo-US nexus, increasing Indian influence in
Afghanistan and alleged Indian support to insurgency in Baluchistan.
The US ‘Smart Power’ approach has numerous security related implications for
Pakistan’s state and society due to adverse effects of hard power elements in US
policy vis-à-vis Pakistan. Obama’s AfPak speech on December 1, 2009 on ‘the Way
Forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan’ articulated the future course in relations
with Pakistan. The unprecedented surge in drone attacks, Osama Bin Ladin
operation (May 2011), Salala check-post incident (November 2011) and CIA covert
activities including Raymond Davis incident (January 2011) inside Pakistani
territory explain the current nature of the US engagement in Pakistan. In the
presidential debate of 2012, both President Obama and his Republican opponent
Mitt Romney were convinced that the drone attacks and other military measures
should continue as vital component in the US approach towards Pakistan. The
drone attacks that have since then continued as the key instrument of the US
hard power and according to the International Security Program in 388 drone
strikes made till date estimated 3559 people have died both civilian and
terrorists. In a unilateral world, the only super power extending its military
muscles in Pakistan is serious security concern for Pakistan.
The US therefore need to understand that Smart power is not something naive and
without consequence for the host Pakistan. It has its implications that are the
relative impact of its hard and soft components, respectively. Undoubtedly, the
soft power manifested through humanitarian assistance during natural calamities,
higher education scholarships, provision of various services through USAID
projects etc, forms a large part of the Smart Power Strategy, yet it failed to
attain the potential impact owing to intense use of hard power. The hard power
invited far more media and public attention and subsequent criticism compared to
the positive impact generated by soft power. As indicated by the Pew Survey,
favorable image of the US has considerably decreased since the introduction of
Smart Power Strategy in Pakistan. Yet, the Obama administration seems contended
with the way this policy has paid dividends in achieving its policy objectives.
Form the killings of Al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan, the initiatives taken by
Pakistan to combat terrorism within its own territory shows the seriousness of
the state to address the threat of militancy and terrorism as priority.Full
scale joint military operation Zarb-e-Azab since January 15 in the North
Waziristan territory with a great degree of success is a manifest of Pakistan
commitment to eliminate the threat of terrorism from its territory.
The operation Zarb-e-Azb also brushes aside the US criticism on Pakistan to make
selective military operations against the terrorist outfits. This operation is
directed against all the terrorist organizations operating in North Waziristan
including the Tehri-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), al-Qaeda, the East Turkestan
Islamic Movement (ETIM), The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the
Haqqani Network. In this scenario the US hard power resources such as drone
attacks in the tribal fail to deliver any meaningful impact on the terrorist,
whereas, continues to threaten Pakistan-US bilateral relations.
It can thus be inferred that the US needs to revisit its smart power strategy
vis-à-vis Pakistan, particularly the harder components. This could be achieved
by halting the drone attacks and secretive operations and need to persuade
Pakistan to channelize its efforts in a more streamlined fashion in order to
ensure effective combat of terrorism. This would enhance trust between the two
allies. The soft power component of the Strategy is moving in right direction
and should be continued. (1100)
(Bilal Zubair is Ph.D scholar at the National Defence University, Islamabad)