The Trust Deficit with Pakistan

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In The Media

The Trust Deficit with Pakistan

To overcome the large trust deficit that exists between Washington and Islamabad, the leadership in both countries must recognize that the strategic interests of their two nations do not always align.

By Stephen Tankel

Published on May 9, 2011

Source: C-SPAN Radio

The U.S.-Pakistan relationship has had high points and low points ever since Pakistan came into existence and this is certainly one of the lower points, said Stephen Tankel on C-Span radio. The United States is currently facing a lot of critical questions about the nature of its relationship with Pakistan, how that relationship should change in the future, what type of support the United States is prepared to give, and what the Washington expects from Islamabad in return for that support.

Tankel explained that the trust deficit is high on both sides. This stems primarily from the fact that U.S. and Pakistani strategic interests are not aligned, he argued, and until this lack of strategic alignment can be openly discussed, it will be difficult to move past the trust deficit.

About the Author

Stephen Tankel

Former Nonresident Scholar, South Asia Program

Tankel was a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment, where his research focuses on insurgency, terrorism, and the evolution of nonstate armed groups.

Recent Work

Q&A
Restoring Trust: U.S.-Pakistan Relations
- Stephen Tankel
Q&A
LeT’s Global Rise
- Stephen Tankel

Security Foreign Policy South Asia Pakistan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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