Ambassador Cameron Munter on Pakistan

Cameron Munter, Frederic Grare September 25, 2012 Washington, D.C.
Summary
Ambassador Cameron Munter argued for the need to move past old stereotypes and explore novel ways for the United States to work with Pakistan.
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American policymakers face continuing challenges in creating a constructive and sustainable relationship with Pakistan, and it may be time to consider a new approach. In his first public event since returning from Islamabad, Ambassador Cameron Munter spoke about the obstacles and opportunities ahead in Pakistan. Carnegie’s Frederic Grare moderated.

Competing Narratives

In Munter’s view, both the United States and Pakistan hold enduring—and frequently inaccurate—perceptions of the two nations’ relationship.

  • Fair-weather Friends: Pakistanis, Munter argued, tend to believe that Americans aim to use Pakistan to achieve American goals, then abandon the relationship when it no longer serves Washington’s ends.
     
  • A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Munter believes that Americans, on the other hand, view the Pakistani government as duplicitous and manipulative, accepting U.S. aid and assistance even as it sometimes works to undermine American interests in the region.

The Failures of Bilateralism

  • High Hopes: Munter pointed to 2008 as a turning point in Washington’s Pakistan policy. He identified a good-faith effort to balance crucial counterterrorism goals with a commitment to a stable Pakistan in the long term. Most notably, the United States increased civilian assistance to Pakistan dramatically with the Kerry-Lugar-Berman (KLB) bill, and the U.S. and Pakistani militaries began to cooperate more closely.
     
  • Falling Short: Munter placed the blame for KLB’s failure to achieve systemic improvements in Pakistan’s civilian sector at the feet of the Pakistani state. Islamabad, he argued, lacked the state capacity to support government-to-government programs on which KLB so heavily relies.
     
  • A Credibility Crisis: New hurdles emerged for U.S.-Pakistani relations throughout 2011—American contractor Raymond Davis’s arrest after he shot two Pakistanis, the friendly-fire incident at Salala, and the American raid on Osama bin Laden’s Abbotabad compound. Munter believes that these incidents reinforced caricatured narratives on both sides. He described how Pakistanis willing to work closely with Americans found they lacked the domestic capital to do so, and how American policymakers faced increasingly vocal calls to take a harder line on Islamabad.

Finding New Frameworks

  • Breathing Room: With the resolution of the dispute over NATO supply routes through Pakistan, Munter believes there may be an opportunity for the United States and Pakistan to find common ground—as long as both sides keep their expectations modest and avoid reprising the large-scale strategic aspirations of 2008.

  • Looking Beyond Government: Munter sees great potential for partnership in Pakistan’s civil society. Its businesses, universities, non-governmental organizations, and similar actors have not figured prominently in U.S. policy in the past, but he contends that there is room for slow but steady progress on building social links between the two countries.

  • International Opportunities: Munter explained how the United States can look to the region and the world to help strengthen and stabilize Pakistan. He reflected on Pakistan’s nascent détente with India, suggesting that an increasing Pakistani willingness to engage even with its traditional rival could offer a forum to discuss common goals and ways to achieve them.

 

About the South Asia Program

The Carnegie South Asia Program informs policy debates relating to the region’s security, economy, and political development. From the war in Afghanistan to Pakistan’s internal dynamics to U.S. engagement with India, the Program’s renowned team of experts offer in-depth analysis derived from their unique access to the people and places defining South Asia’s most critical challenges.

 
Source: carnegieendowment.org/2012/09/25/ambassador-cameron-munter-on-pakistan/duu8

Comments (4)

 
 
  • Oracle October 2, 2012 10:04 AM
    Munter completely ignores root cause of dysfunctional Pakistan: hijacking of the country permanently by Army elite for its own selfish ends, using Indian bogey to scare Pakistanis into submission. Army continues to fan hatred against Hindus (and now Western Christians) cynically right from cradle to keep its control and mislead its hapless population. Army controls ruthlessly all public discourse and prevents any alternative narrative. Unless the country is freed from their grip, there is no hope of improvement. West must understand this basic truth.
     
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    • Syed Abbas replies... October 17, 2012 2:13 PM
       
      Oracle: Greetings

      What you state is symptoms, rather than causes. Pak-US squabble is a lovers’ tiff, and like the classic Bollywood, everything will turn out well when misunderstandings are discovered and resolved.

      The fundamentals of both countries are sound, and both Pakistan and US are going through struggles to re-define their internal social contracts forced upon by globalization. Upon realizing the futility of pointing fingers at each other they will learn to own their problems and resolve them sooner rather than later as mechanisms exist to do the same.

      Despite your claims and the recent Hindu/Christian difficulties, the people of Pakistan always have been hate-free and remain so. Show me one Bollywood movie that gives a positive view of Muslims compared with the endearing image of Hindus and Sikhs in the 1960 classic Kartar Singh made in Lahore?
       
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  • Syed Abbas October 13, 2012 12:10 AM
    His Excellency Dr. Munter has very perceptively analyzed the Pak-US Relationships. I take the liberty to place his approach in a wider historical and theoretical framework.

    1. Pakistan is at present going through the classical rural-urban, agrarian-industrial transition. This transition is neither short-lived nor bloodless. This happened in England under Cromwell, in France in 1789, in America during the Civil War, in Russia and China in the 20th century, and in India post-Partition (brilliantly handled by Nehru). In this conflict the city always triumphs over the countryside, industry over agriculture, and Military-Feudal complex is replaced by Military-Industrial Complex. America can provide the catalyst to speed up the process.

    2. Of Toynbee’s 5 living Civilizations (Hellenized West, Christian Russia, Islam, Indics, Sinics) the last 2 are regional, racial; Christianity is other-worldly. That leaves the Corporate Capitalist West and Islam to vie for the hearts and minds of the globe. Here is a summary of the contrasting socio-economics.

    Corporate Capitalist West offers:

    1. No responsibility or limited responsibility godless culture
    2. Large Corporate controlled Enterprise
    3. Knowledge as a Private good
    4. Top-down polity
    5. Law and Order Democracy and Lawyerism
    6. Positive interest regime
    7. Income/spending/import taxation
    8. Control of movement in goods, money, and people

    Every one of these is anti-progress, anti production, only for private profit for the few. Taxing incomes, spending, imports is no good for consumers or small and medium business alike. Not taxing assets encourages accumulation and hoarding, ties up resources needlessly.

    Koranic/Mohammedan Socio-economics offers:

    1. Personally Responsible Individualist Moral God-fearing culture
    2. Free Enterprise
    3. Knowledge as a public good
    4. Bottom Up Polity
    5. Justice minded Republic
    6. Zero interest regime
    7. Asset taxation
    8. Borderless world

    And 2,400 year ago, justice minded god-fearing Socrates essentially offered the same, a god fearing Republic in contrast to the godless Law and Order Democracy, the Demos (5% moneyed males) ruling over the 95% rest (women, plebs, helots, slaves). But Mohammed remains the only person in history to have defeated his Meccan Demos, the combined forces of Big Business Umayyads, Bankers Banu Abbas, trade monopolist infidels, and Judahists to found the Medinan Republic.

    Contd.
     
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  • Syed Abbas October 13, 2012 12:12 AM
    Contd.

    In the end the more efficient socio-economic system prevails. While Corporate Capitalism is wasteful and profligate, Islamic socio-economics is frugal and efficient. Professor Jean Ensminger of San Diego University has demonstrated that Tribes in Kenya are converting to Islam to reduce their transaction costs.

    3. Of the two Camps, Capitalism and Islam, just as America is the de-facto leader of the Free world, Pakistan is the de-facto leader of the Islamic world. This is manifested by the universal vision of their people.

    4. No two people, not US-Canada, not US-UK, not Pakistan-India share a similar psyche as US and Pakistan do. Here is a partial list of these 2 Birds of the Same Feather

    1. Same National Symbol - Eagle soaring free above the clouds: Individualists, freedom-loving government-hating
    2. Newest nations in respective blocks – founded as Republics, against Democracy
    3. Manifest Destiny – Extra-Territoriality within their blocks
    4. Born Free Enterprising, positive public attitude to business US #1, Pakistan #2. Efficient market, cheapest living in their blocks.
    5. Love drugs, armaments, guns; Violent regime changes
    6. Very similar practical sense of humor
    7. Profoundly religious; unique musicality – Jazz, hip-hop / Qawwali
    8. Extremely mobile
    9. Mixed language, widest gene pool, Fastest Growth, largest family size, largest pop., net population influx; hospitable, generous, charitable, poor-friendly
    10. Can survive without trade - feed population with borders shut.

    Historical Imperative demands that the two countries cooperate with each other. This will happen no matter what.

    Dr. Munter’s optimism is well placed.

    abbastoronto@hotmail.com
    (416)-250-9300
     
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