The United States And Pakistan, 1947-2000 Book

An insightful history of US-Pakistani relations from 1947 to 2000, mostly from the US perspective. Kux concludes that the US "wishes Pakistan well but similarly perceives few compelling positive interests."

Kux emphasizes the unpredictability of the relationship and how it is often affected more by events than by any shared long-term interests. The most well-known instances are the jihad against the Soviets and the aftermath of 9/11. In the 1980s Pakistan received billions in aid, support for its dictatorship, and Washington's silence about Pakistan's secret nuclear program. As soon as the Soviets left, the US imposed sanctions and cut aid even though it knew about the program before.

Much of Kux's narrative deals with these shifts in policy. He describes how the Pakistanis valued a relationship with the US when the nation came into being, only for Truman to tilt towards India, and for diplomats' recommendations to back Pakistan were frequently overruled in Washington. The Eisenhower administration saw a tilt towards Pakistan, while Democratic successors preferred India, and another tilt to Pakistan came under Nixon and, with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, under Carter and Reagan. Kux argues that the instability of America's involvement in the region is unproductive, and that the differing scale of America's and Pakistan's goals will have to be resolved.

See also Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding