Pakistan: Frontline State Again?

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine Pakistan's place in contemporary U.S. national security strategy. Today, U.S.-Pakistan relations are strained due to the Pressler Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act. The Pressler Amendment prohibits arms transfers from the United States to Pakistan in response to Pakistani efforts to develop a nuclear weapon capability. This thesis provides a historical background to the current impasse by examining Pakistani foreign policy since 1947. Next, the study examines the evolution of U.S. interests and security objectives in South and Southwest Asia. Current security objectives analyzed are the U.S. strategies to contain Iran and Iraq and to prevent nuclear proliferation in the region. In order to attain security objectives in the region, the author concludes that the U.S. needs a close cooperative relationship with Pakistan. Since the Pressler Amendment stands as the greatest obstacle to improved U.S.-Pakistan relations, the amendment should be repealed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA305908

Entities

People

  • David S. Rivard

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Central Asia
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Proliferation
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • South Asia
  • Southwest Asia
  • Students
  • United States
  • United States Central Command
  • Ussr
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Business

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.