The United States and Pakistan were in an alliance of mutual convenience for much of the Cold War (although at odds for part of it) and have since been in a relationship of almost complete expediency. Unfortunately, US policymakers seem unable to grasp a simple point about the US-Pakistan relationship--at no point has it been built upon a true convergence of interests, let alone shared values.
The latest statement by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates exhorting India, Pakistan and Afghanistan to come together to defeat the menace of Islamist terror in South Asia, has again underscored the fundamental delusion held by the United States about the interests and goals of the Pakistani state and its dominant component, the military apparatus.
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